Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov answered media questions at a joint news conference following talks with the Foreign Minister of Qatar, Mohammad Al-Nusra (probably not his real name ... but you never know), on Saturday in Moscow.
One naive journalist thought he could bait Lavrov with a provocative question about Ukrainian military strategy. But Sergey remained a very cool cucumber:
Sergey Lavrov. He has a way with words
Question: Ukraine National Security Council Secretary Alexander Turchinov said that Ukraine’s armed forces have no alternative but to move further east. Some articles went so far as to say that the main thing was to not cross the border (into Russia, that is). What is Moscow’s perspective on these statements?
Sergey Lavrov: We have long suspected Ukrainian politicians of being inadequate.
The End.
(Lavrov actually said more after that, even though he didn't need to: "This is hardly the first statement of this kind. Before Alexander Turchinov, the president of Ukraine, Petr Poroshenko, adopted the same menacing and combative position, and so did the Speaker of Verkhovna Rada Andrey Parubiy and other politicians. What this means is that Ukraine’s leaders do not want to abide by the Minsk Agreements even on security issues. Let me remind you that Petr Poroshenko said that security issues were at the core of the Minsk Agreements. He refuses to discuss political processes until the security issues are resolved. Turchinov’s statements mean that Kiev refuses to fulfil the part of the Minsk Agreements regarding security issues that it views as a priority and indispensable for advancing along other tracks. I think that everyone has long understood that Ukraine’s leaders are acting this way intentionally. This also means that Kiev has no respect whatsoever for its European backers.")
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