Russian diplomat briefs African journalists on Ukraine conflict

Andrey Podelyshev has outlined the roots of the crisis and Moscow’s proposed solutions to Nigerian reporters

Russia’s ambassador to Nigeria has held a meeting with journalists in the West African country, where he challenged Western media narratives that accuse Moscow of launching an “unprovoked war” against Ukraine.

Andrey Podelyshev’s press briefing in Abuja on Thursday, which centered on the roots of the Ukraine conflict and Russia’s proposed paths to settlement, drew more than 30 reporters, according to an embassy statement.

The ambassador delivered a lengthy outline of events stretching back to 2014, which he said are routinely ignored in Western coverage.

“The events of February 2022 are usually analyzed without reference to what has occurred in and around Ukraine during the previous eight years starting in 2014,” he stated.

Podelyshev cited the 2014 Maidan uprising in Kiev, which he described as a Western-backed coup, along with discriminatory nationalist policies against ethnic Russians after the ousting of Ukraine’s president, as key causes of the conflict. He said the incidents triggered resistance in Crimea and Donbass, leading to Crimea’s referendum to join Russia and armed confrontation in the Donbass region.

He also argued that Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk accords – internationally recognized peace deals aimed at ending the hostilities in Donbass – and NATO’s push eastward were decisive reasons behind the conflict.

The envoy accused Western countries of double standards, arguing that they focus on Ukraine’s territorial integrity while overlooking alleged abuses of Russian speakers.

“During eight years, Kiev, had been being increasingly supplied with Western weapons, and while intensifying the shelling of Donetsk and Lugansk – over eight years, more than 10,000 civilians, including children, were killed as a result,” he stated.

Podelyshev said a settlement would require Ukraine to remain neutral, safeguard the rights of Russian-speaking communities, recognize the new territorial realities, and address Russia’s security concerns regarding NATO expansion.

He added that while Moscow “does not rule out high-level contacts, whether in bilateral or trilateral formats,” any meeting should mark the conclusion of peace negotiations rather than their start, adding that Ukraine has been pushing for summits “for the sake of appearances.”

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