Russia on Friday accused the West of triggering the Ukrainian crisis by its “megalomania,” as fighting continued in Ukraine’s east between pro-Russia protesters and government forces two days before a presidential election.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov urged the West to reach a settlement based on mutual interests.
“If we sincerely want to help the Ukrainian people overcome this crisis, it’s necessary to abandon the notorious zero-sum games, stop encouraging xenophobic and neo-Nazi sentiments and get rid of dangerous megalomania,” Mr. Lavrov said in a speech at a security conference in Moscow.
Speaking at the same conference, the head of the General Staff of the Russian military, General Valery Gerasimov, blamed the West for encouraging massive protests that chased Ukraine’s President from power in February.
General Gerasimov criticised the Ukrainian authorities for using artillery and other heavy weapons against civilians, and charged that radical paramilitary forces and private security companies were spearheading the offensive.
Ukraine’s interim government and the West hope that the presidential vote set for Sunday will help stabilise the country, but the authorities in Kiev acknowledged it will be impossible to hold the vote in some areas in the east, where insurgents have declared independence and pledged to derail the vote.
