[Lavrov speaks on Ukraine/E.U.]

Nataliya Vasilyeva

Nataliya Vasilyeva

Reporting from Istanbul; from The NY Times

Sergey V. Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, on Sunday poured cold water on the idea of European peace-keepers’ being deployed to Ukraine, a possibility floated earlier by some of Ukraine’s backers. E.U. troops in Ukraine would be a “legitimate target” for Russia’s armed forces, Lavrov said in an interview with the Tass news agency.

While lauding the Trump administration efforts for a negotiated settlement to the war, Lavrov lambasted E.U. leaders for propping up Ukraine. Europe has now become “the main obstacle to peace,” he claimed, and is “not even hiding plans for preparing for a war with Russia.”

He insisted that there was “no need to fear” that Russia would attack Europe.

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