US 'hybrid war' against Moscow behind war in Ukraine: Lavrov

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the US on Wednesday of laying the groundwork for the conflict in Ukraine as part of a hybrid war against Moscow.

Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow that the Ukrainian issue began long before Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops into the nation last February.

"You asked what is the prospect of negotiations between Russia and the West on the Ukrainian issue – we will be ready to respond to any serious proposals. We don't see any serious proposals yet. We will be ready to consider them and decide," Lavrov told one reporter.

In a similar context, Lavrov has lately said that the US and NATO are attempting to defeat Russia on the battlefield in order to destroy the country.

"Our proposals for the demilitarization and denazification of the territories controlled by the [Kiev] regime, [and] the elimination of threats to Russia's security emanating from there, including our new lands, are well-known to the enemy," Lavrov said, adding, "The point is simple: Fulfill them for your own good. Otherwise, the issue will be decided by the Russian army."

Lavrov emphasized that Washington has been pursuing a geopolitical goal in "breaking the traditional bonds" between Russia and Europe, thereby making Europe even more dependent on it. He further added that the US is currently planning orders for its defense sector for years to come.

Moscow said it started the war to protect the pro-Russian population in the eastern Ukrainian regions of Lugansk and Donetsk from Kiev's persecution, as well as to "de-Nazify" its neighbor.

Many argue that the collective West, led by the United States, is engaged in a proxy war with Russia in Ukraine, stressing that Ukraine's role is to do the fighting on the ground.