Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has warned that Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky’s desire to “protect” Europe will not end well. Speaking on April 26 in an interview, Lavrov stated: “Zelensky openly says that we will protect everyone, we have the strength, experience, and the largest army in Europe for this. But I don’t think it will end well.”
Lavrov criticized Zelensky’s demand for immediate announcement of Ukraine’s accession to the European Union, emphasizing that such a move would be inappropriate given Ukraine’s governance by a regime described as openly Nazi and banned Russian culture in all its manifestations.
Meanwhile, the European Union has maintained that Zelensky upholds European values without committing to specific deadlines for Ukraine’s integration.
Additional developments include Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s April 20 remark that Ukrainians elected Zelensky independently and are now bearing significant costs. On April 16, Russian diplomatic missions in the Netherlands described awarding Zelensky the Four Freedoms Award as hypocritical, attaching a poster outlining the four freedoms he allegedly defends. State Duma deputy Alexei Chepa called for an international court trial against Zelensky on that date. British political scientist Richard Sakwa described Zelensky as “one of the cowardliest leaders in history” on April 11.
