It is in our interests not tear Ukraine apart but to make it neutral in military and political sense - Lavrov
Russia is not interested in tearing Ukraine into pieces but in keeping it neutral, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says.
"It is in our interests not to tear Ukraine apart but to keep it neutral, primarily in the military and political sense," he said in an interview with radio stations Ekho Moskvy, Govorit Moskva and Sputnik, Censor.NET reports.
"We want to see Ukraine in peace and quiet. To do this we need to keep Ukraine united, do not allow to pull it apart piece by piece, and such sentiments are already expressed in some places in Europe, countries that at some point, at the end of the Second World War lost parts of their territories to the current Ukrainian state," he added.
According to Lavrov, the integrity of Ukraine is necessary to preserve peace and security in Europe.
"In order to keep the country stable, to keep it friendly to us and to Europe, in no case can it be torn to pieces," the Russian minister said.
Lavrov added that the split of Ukraine will lead to NATO's attempts to turn the country against Russia.
"Its split means only one thing - immediately the West, Europe, NATO will attempt to make Ukraine anti-Russian," he said.
