The Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, said today that the war between Russia and the West is no longer hybrid but is “almost real” as he criticized Western nations for providing billions of pounds in armaments to Ukraine.
Lavrov also asserted that Moscow was eager to talk with Ukraine in the early months of the conflict, but that the United States and other Western nations discouraged Kiev from doing so.
Lavrov’s words during his visit to South Africa were identical to those made by Russian President Vladimir Putin the previous year, namely that his country was open to negotiations but Ukraine’s Western friends blocked this from occurring.
It comes as Poland’s prime minister announced today that his government will request Germany’s authorization to send Leopard tanks to Ukraine, and would do so regardless of Berlin’s response.
The Ukrainian government is desperate for the Leopard 2 tank, manufactured in Germany, to burst past Russian lines and regain territory this year.
This is breaking news, and there will be more to come…