In sharp contrast to its earlier stance, Russia has threatened to annex territory beyond the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, to which the United States (US) has vowed a “swift and severe” international response.
In an interview with Russian state-owned media outlet Ria Novosti on Wednesday, Russian Foreign Minister (FM) Sergey Lavrov warned that if the Western countries continue to supply Ukraine with long-range weapons, such as the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), then Russian forces would move further into Ukrainian territory.
“Because we cannot allow the part of Ukraine that [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelensky will control or who will replace him to have weapons that will pose a direct threat to our territory and the territory of those republics that have declared their independence, those who want their future decide for yourself,” he reasoned, in reference to Russian-declared independent territories of Donetsk (DPR) and Luhansk (LPR) in the Donbas region.
The notion that Russia's war aims in Ukraine would settle for the Donbas was a Western media red herring that Lavrov refuted
— Samuel Ramani (@SamRamani2) July 20, 2022
Phase two of the special military operation clearly highlighted Odesa and landlocking Ukraine as goals, so it was always more than Donetsk and Luhansk
“The President (Vladimir Putin) was very clear, as you quoted: denazification and demilitarisation in the sense that there should be no threat to our security, no military threat from Ukraine’s territory, and this objective remains,” Lavrov added. He also revealed that the situation was vastly different when the peace talks between Moscow and Kyiv were taking place in Istanbul. “Now the geography is different. This is far from being only the DPR and LPR, it is also the Kherson region, the Zaporizhzhia region, and a number of other territories, and this process continues consistently and persistently,” Lavrov admitted.
Furthermore, the Russian FM claimed that the West was not letting Ukraine take “any constructive steps, and they are not just flooding it with weapons, but making it use those weapons in an increasingly risky manner.” “I do not doubt that the Ukrainians will not be allowed to hold talks until the Americans decide they have created enough destruction and chaos. Then, they will leave Ukraine alone and watch it get out of this mess,” Lavrov remarked.
In response to Lavrov’s declaration, Ukrainian Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba stated, “Russians want blood, not talks.”
By confessing dreams to grab more Ukrainian land, Russian Foreign Minister proves that Russia rejects diplomacy and focuses on war and terror. Russians want blood, not talks. I call on all partners to step up sanctions pressure on Russia and speed up arms deliveries to Ukraine.
— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) July 20, 2022
When Russia invaded Ukraine in February, Putin emphasised that “it is not our plan to occupy the Ukrainian territory.” He said his rationale for conducting the military operation in Ukraine is rooted in the US’ failure to provide guarantees against the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) toward Russia. Likewise, Putin accused Kyiv of conducting a “genocide” in Donbas, saying that Moscow’s ongoing mission is to protect these people. He made it clear that Russia will “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine and hold the government accountable for its crimes.
However, following a phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and Putin in March, the former warned the international community that the “worst is yet to come in Ukraine.” An anonymous senior French official said Macron was pessimistic after the call. “Our analysis of the military operations is that the Russian ambitions are to take control of all of Ukraine,” the official said.
This has not exactly been a secret. When peace talks with Ukraine collapsed in the spring, Putin made it clear he saw no prospect for a peaceful settlement and appeared determined to capture as much Ukrainian territory as possible.https://t.co/CPNKgCVga7
— max seddon (@maxseddon) July 20, 2022
In fact, in an address to his regional governors in March, Putin asserted that Russia had no option but to invade “pro-Nazi” Ukraine, adding that Moscow was left with “no peaceful alternative,” as the US and Ukraine had dismissed all diplomatic attempts made by Russia to resolve the situation. He also highlighted that the Russian government sent its troops beyond the borders of Donbas as a tactic aimed at keeping NATO at bay, ensuring Russia’s security, and ultimately avoiding Donbas from becoming an area of protracted conflict.
In a press briefing on Tuesday, National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby appeared to confirm Lavrov’s comments on Russia’s growing territorial ambitions, saying, “We’re seeing ample evidence in the intelligence and in the public domain that Russia intends to try to annex additional Ukrainian territory.”
UA govt, military see it this way. Russia’s offensive & impulse have stalled. As HIMARS re-write scenario of the war, Russia needs to gear up for inevitable peace talks. It’s the reason behind Lavrov’s scaremongering. Russia has no power (nukes excluded) to back up his claims 2/2
— Myroslava Petsa (@myroslavapetsa) July 20, 2022
He revealed that Russia has installed “illegitimate” proxies in Ukrainian territories that are under Moscow’s control, and plans to establish branches of Russian banks, make the ruble the official currency in those areas, and shut down internet access for civilians.
“These proxy officials will arrange sham referenda on joining Russia. Then, Russia will use those sham referenda as a basis to try to claim annexation of sovereign Ukrainian territory,” Kirby noted, adding, “Russia is beginning to roll out a version of what you could call an “annexation playbook,” very similar to the one we saw in 2014,” in reference to Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
🔻
— Russian Embassy in USA 🇷🇺 (@RusEmbUSA) July 20, 2022
💬:the statements by @WhiteHouse representative about 🇷🇺 intentions to "annex 🇺🇦 territories" are fundamentally false. New 🇺🇸 insinuations are another confirmation of Washington's desire to "heat up" the conflict as long as possible.
📎 Read in full ➡️ https://t.co/Ph8Iw4SO4I pic.twitter.com/6BLkJMtDPX
Kirby also announced that the US will supply Ukraine with more High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS), Multiple Launch Rocket Systems (MLRS), and artillery ammunition as part of its 16th presidential drawdown package. “Russia will face additional sanctions and become even more of a global pariah than it is now,” he asserted, adding that Washington will not recognise any annexed territory as Moscow’s.
However, the Russian Embassy in the US slammed Kirby’s claims as “fundamentally false,” adding that Russia had supplied Ukraine with 45,000 tons of humanitarian aid. “The new insinuations are another confirmation of Washington’s desire to ‘heat up’ the conflict as long as possible. The US ruling circles are not driven by concern for Ukrainians, but by a desire to inflict maximum damage on Russia,” it claimed in a statement on Facebook.
In a war that is now nearing five months, Russia has lost over 36,000 troops, 1500 tanks, 3700 Armored Protected Vehicles, 800 artillery systems, 200 MLRS, 100 anti-aircraft warfare systems, 200 aircraft, 150 helicopters, 15 warships, and 2600 vehicles and fuel tanks.
Furthermore, debilitating Western sanctions have caused its inflation rate to soar to 20%, Russian imports to fall by 40%, and the Russian stock market to plummet by 30%. Moreover, about 1,000 companies have voluntarily pulled out of Russia since the Ukraine war began.
However, the Kremlin has hit back at claims that sanctions are damaging its economy, saying they have impacted the European Union (EU) more than Russia. “They (EU) have already exhausted all possible areas where they were ready to harm us, and now they are forced to think about what they have done and how it affects them,” Lavrov noted in Wednesday’s interview.