The US and other Western nations have not shown “the slightest interest” in ending the war, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed during a press conference.

At the same time, Lavrov reiterated that Ukraine should abandon its plans to join the NATO military alliance as a condition for ending the conflict with Russia.

He told a news conference that he believed the West, not Ukraine, would decide the terms for ending the war, but noted that he did not think the West was interested in starting peace talks at this time.

In the same mood of his statements, Mr. Lavrov argued that the West “is leading to the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, which “creates additional strategic risks and dangers.”

The Russian Foreign Minister, in fact, compared the fate of Ukraine with that of Afghanistan, characteristically saying that “Ukraine could suffer a similar fate to Afghanistan” referring to the US withdrawal two years ago after 20 years of war.

“All their reckless operations in the military field, did any of them bring any positive result? Ukraine has a similar fate. They rely on their masters, they don’t know that their master only thinks of themselves,” he added

Lavrov, meanwhile, reiterated Russia’s view that the West is “unwilling” to follow a “constructive path that takes into account the legitimate concerns of the Russian Federation.”