Lavrov suddenly made claims against Kuchma. All because of a book published 22 years ago.

Lavrov criticizes Kuchma's book and views on Ukraine

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov expressed his criticism of the book by former President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma 'Ukraine is not Russia', published in 2003, at a conference. He called this book 'outrightly pseudoscientific' and believes it aimed to 'create Ukrainians'.

Essentially, this concept laid down in this work 'Ukraine is not Russia' became a kind of intellectual foundation for the modern nationalist Ukrainian elites

Lavrov also believes that Ukraine has long 'nurtured the dream of becoming an anti-Russia'. He claims that after the collapse of the Soviet Union, such theories began to spread actively, aiming to divide Slavic peoples and hinder cooperation in the post-Soviet space.

Lavrov on future negotiations and strategy with Ukraine

Sergey Lavrov expressed skepticism regarding the possibility of future negotiations with Ukraine in the Vatican. He believes it would be uncomfortable for the Vatican to participate in negotiations between two Orthodox countries.

Imagine the Vatican as a venue for negotiations. Well, that's a bit inelegant, I would say. When Orthodox countries will discuss issues concerning the elimination of root causes on a Catholic platform

Lavrov also stated that the strategy of an unconditional ceasefire is no longer relevant for Russia, as he believes it should 'rearm Ukraine'.

During the conference, the Russian Foreign Minister expressed his opinion on several issues related to Ukraine and Leonid Kuchma's book. He remains skeptical about the possibility of peace in the region and the claims of nationalist Ukrainian elites.