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"Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the United States under Donald Trump was the first Western administration to recognise the 'root causes' of the Ukraine conflict, during an interview with Shanghai Media Group in Moscow on Wednesday. "The United States under [President Donald] Trump was the only country whose leadership recognised the need to address the root causes - not joining NATO and acknowledging the territory realities that had emerged following referendums held in response to the coup," he said. Lavrov said Moscow agreed with that approach, but accused European countries and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky of pressuring Washington to change course. "Europe and Zelensky immediately started popping over to Washington, literally 'clinging' to the Trump administration and US representatives during negotiations with Russia and Ukraine, and began demanding that the Americans change their policy," he said. "As I understand it, the United States has already lost some of its interest and enthusiasm. They are openly saying that Europe should deal with Ukraine, whilst the United States will deal with China." Lavrov also criticised European leaders, accusing them of being unwilling to hold constructive talks with Russia and of failing to learn the lessons of history. "This really sums them up as people without position or principles, as 'small-time' politicians who can’t see beyond the horizon. All they can do is dwell on the past of their fathers and grandfathers," he said. "In Germany, in particular, the Nazi spirit is reawakening. Once again, Germany wants to bring the whole of Europe under its wing. They’ve already handed the Nazi flag to Zelensky. History is repeating itself." The Russian foreign minister also raised the status of the Russian language and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, saying these should not be treated as bargaining chips in negotiations. "This is a sham, because this is not the talks, but the UN Charter’s Article 1 demands respect for human rights, regardless of race, gender, language or religion. This cannot be a matter for negotiation, it is part of your 'credentials' as a decent person and member of the international community. And they are already trying to make these things a bargaining chip," he claimed. Lavrov said Russia was continuing its special military operation, while stating that its forces were seeking to avoid unnecessary damage. "Our president has repeatedly said that we are not using all the means we have because we do not wish to cause excessive damage to areas where, by and large, our own people live - which the Nazis are attempting to subjugate," he added. "Over the course of this year, around 80 settlements have already been taken under [Russian] control, including 35 in March and April. The process is going on. We are always ready to negotiate, but, you see, we thought the matter had been settled in Anchorage, yet it has not." Moscow launched a military offensive in Ukraine in late February 2022 after recognising the independence of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), claiming that Kiev had failed to guarantee their special status under the 2014 Minsk Agreements, and urging Ukraine to declare itself officially neutral and give assurances that it would never join NATO. Kiev denounced the Russian action as an invasion. Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky imposed martial law throughout the country, announcing a general mobilisation, while the EU and the US imposed several rounds of sanctions on Moscow. "
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