British Foreign Minister questioned Russia’s sovereignty over Rostov and Voronezh

by time news

During the closed part of the talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his British counterpart Liz Truss in Moscow, a memorable exchange of remarks took place, as two diplomatic sources told Kommersant.

The British Foreign Secretary told the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry about the need to withdraw Russian armed forces from the Ukrainian border. Sergei Lavrov replied that the military is on the territory of his country. Liz Truss repeated that they should be withdrawn. To this, the Russian minister again objected that the military is not violating anything, since they have the right to conduct any maneuvers on the territory of the Russian Federation.

After that, he himself addressed a question to his British colleague: “Do you recognize the sovereignty of Russia over the Rostov and Voronezh regions?”

“Great Britain will never recognize Russian sovereignty over these regions,” the Foreign Minister replied after a short pause.

British Ambassador to the Russian Federation Deborah Bonnert had to intervene in the situation, who delicately explained to Mrs. Truss that we were really talking about Russian regions.

The British Embassy in Moscow explained Mrs Truss’ words as a mistake. “During the meeting, it seemed to me that Minister Lavrov was talking about a part of Ukraine. I clearly indicated that these regions (Rostov and Voronezh. – Kommersant) are part of sovereign Russia, ”said the head of the Foreign Ministry.

Recall that during a press conference following the meeting, Sergei Lavrov said he was disappointed with the negotiations and noted that he and his colleague did not hear each other. Liz Truss said that no one undermines Russia’s security. She also stated that she considers it necessary to withdraw Russian troops from the border with Ukraine.

Ms. Truss has previously said that Ukraine has survived many invasions, “from the Mongols to the Tatars,” and “an invasion will drag Russia into a quagmire, like the one that was formed as a result of the war in Afghanistan or the conflict in Chechnya.”

Elena Chernenko

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