Russia’s Lavrov accuses West of ‘supporting genocide’ in Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the West was “supporting genocide” in Ukraine through its backing for President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s peace plan, which he claimed would “destroy everything Russian” in east Ukraine and Crimea.

Lavrov, speaking during a trip to Africa, did not offer evidence to support his claim. Russia has long accused the West of ignoring what it says is Ukrainian persecution of Russian language speakers in the eastern Donbas region and elsewhere.

“The conclusion is very simple – the West directly supports genocide,” Lavrov said during a press conference with his Burundian counterpart.