Russian Foreign Minister (FM) Sergei Lavrov on Sunday justified Russia’s invasion of Ukraine by accusing Kyiv of seeking biological weapons and supporting Nazis. Speaking at the Arab League Council in Cairo, the FM also sought the support of Arab states for Moscow’s war efforts.
“When Russian troops took some positions in Ukraine, we discovered dozens of laboratories, which were involved in military biological activities,” Lavrov said, accusing the Ukrainians of “experimenting with very dangerous pathogens […] oriented towards creating biological weapons.”
Calling it a “dangerous development,” Lavrov also hinted that the United States had known about the existence of such laboratories and may have assisted Ukraine in manufacturing biological weapons. In this regard, he said Moscow would start an investigation in line with the Biological Weapons Convention recommendations.
“We will insist on transparency of anything the US and its allies are doing in the area of military biological activities, because they have hundreds of laboratories all over the world,” he added.
🤝 In Cairo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting with the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit.#RussiaArabLeague pic.twitter.com/hI6Gs3Pr4r
— MFA Russia 🇷🇺 (@mfa_russia) July 24, 2022
The FM’s claim echoed similar statements made by the Kremlin in March that the US and Ukraine were running a secret military biological programme and planned on using biological warfare against Russia. Washington has denied these accusations as “outright lies” and accused Moscow of having a "track record of accusing the West of the very crimes that [it] is perpetrating.” Moreover, Lavrov’s latest remarks come just days after North Korea made similar accusations against the US.
Lavrov also reasserted Russian claims that the Ukrainian government has been actively supporting Nazis. He claimed that captured Ukrainian soldiers “are all tattooed with swastika symbols, with insignia of Waffen SS divisions, with Hitler, ‘Mein Kampf’.” He said Ukrainian military headquarters “are full of propaganda material coming from the Third Reich, praising Nazi collaborators.”
“So this Neo-Nazi education of the population […] is very deeply rooted in the day-to-day life of Ukraine and especially of the Ukrainian army,” Lavrov claimed, before going on to say that “the attempts to revive in the modern world those absolutely criminal illegal practices which were applied by Hitler are doomed to fail. I have no slightest doubt.”
“This would not prevail. This would not succeed. Russian and Ukrainian people would continue to live together, we will certainly help Ukrainian people to get rid of the regime,” Lavrov said, vowing to defeat Ukraine’s government.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine and punish those who committed “numerous bloody crimes” against peaceful Ukrainians and Russians.
Whether Moscow wants or not, 🇺🇦 grain will get to the world. We know well what an artificial famine prescribed by scriptwriters in the Kremlin is, so we responsibly fulfill agreements. All needed is for 🇷🇺 to stop lying and start fulfilling the commitments made in Istanbul. 2/2
— Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) July 25, 2022
During his address to the Arab League Council, Lavrov also blamed the West for provoking Russia and neglecting Moscow’s “legitimate concerns,” particularly the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s (NATO) expansion along Russian borders. “Ukraine was chosen to be anti-Russia. It was pumped with weapons, naval and other military bases were planned to be built on Ukrainian soil,” he asserted.
Moreover, Lavrov said the accusation that Russia is responsible for the global food crisis is a “fake story” and “the difficulties in the food market began with the coronavirus pandemic, when some contacts and supply chains were affected.” He also blamed the US and the EU for aggravating the crisis by imposing harsh sanctions on Moscow.
He noted that Western sanctions prevented Russian grain export ships from entering Mediterranean ports. The FM also stressed that Russia never blocked Ukrainian grain in Black Sea ports and blamed the Ukrainian navy’s mining of the Black Sea for preventing ships from exporting agricultural products from the country.
However, he said Ukraine agreed to demine the region during a summit with Russia and Turkey in Istanbul last week. Lavrov said that Russia supports the mechanism reached in Istanbul and will actively monitor vessels entering and leaving the region. “Ships would be inspected to make sure that they do not bring any weapons, which would only be detrimental to the continued conflict,” he added.
🇷🇺🌍 Russian Foreign Minister Sergei #Lavrov has arrived in #Africa.
— FRANCE 24 English (@France24_en) July 25, 2022
Talking to regional leaders, he said #Russia is not to blame for food shortages and price hikes.
FRANCE 24's @bsquinn has the story ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/708n5xv8y8
Last week, Moscow, Kyiv, and Ankara agreed to unblock Ukrainian ports and establish a “coordination centre” in Istanbul to oversee transfers of Ukrainian exports. Representatives from all parties will be at the centre, which will establish joint controls at the port exit and arrival points and ensure navigational safety on the transfer routes.
Following its invasion of Ukraine in February, Russia imposed a naval blockade that left dozens of ships and over 20 million tonnes of Ukrainian grain exports stuck at ports. This led to rising demand for grains, skyrocketing food prices, and the depletion of wheat reserves in countries that are virtually entirely dependent on wheat from Ukraine and Russia, such as Egypt and Lebanon.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the war’s impact on the global food market could lead an additional 11 million to 19 million people to chronic hunger by the end of the year. Therefore, the signing of the deal would bring much-needed relief to global agricultural markets and stakeholders.
Finally, the FM vowed to expand Russia’s bilateral ties with all Arab countries, particularly in trade, energy, agricultural, and strategic ties. Lavrov also met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi. The pair discussed the issues of Libya, Palestine, and Syria. Furthermore, he encouraged all Arab states to “understand” Russia’s position on Ukraine and help Moscow seek “an early search for a peaceful settlement” to the war.