Lavrov: Anonymous US officials threatened Putin with assassination
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin (FT)
Russian President Vladimir Putin has been threatened with assassination by unnamed US officials according to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday.
In an interview with TASS, Lavrov stated: "The one who's gone the farthest of all the others is in Washington. There are some 'anonymous officials' from the Pentagon who have actually enunciated threats to deliver a 'decapitating strike' on the Kremlin, which is in fact an assassination threat against the Russian president," adding: "If someone really has such ideas, then this someone should think long and hard about the possible consequences of such plans,"
Lavrov also pointed to nuclear strike threats from the West: "It seems that they have shed all vestiges of respectability," he said. "The notorious [ex-British Prime Minister] Liz Truss is a vivid example, given that she directly and publicly said during her pre-election campaign that she was ready to order a nuclear strike,"
"I am not even mentioning here the Kiev regime's over-the-top provocations," Lavrov said, relaying as well that "[Ukrainian President] Volodymyr Zelensky had gone as far as urging NATO states to deliver preventive nuclear strikes against Russia. This crosses the line of what is acceptable. However, we heard far worse statements from figures within the [Kiev] regime,"
'Well-known to the enemy'
The US and NATO are attempting to defeat Russia on the battlefield in order to destroy the country, Lavrov stated late on Monday.
According to the ITAR-TASS news agency, Lavrov added that Ukraine is fully aware of Russia's demands and could simply meet them to end the war.
"Our proposals for the demilitarization and denazification of the territories controlled by the [Kiev] regime, [and] the elimination of threats to Russia's security emanating from there, including our new lands, are well-known to the enemy," Lavrov said, adding, "The point is simple: Fulfill them for your own good. Otherwise, the issue will be decided by the Russian army."
According to him, the main party that benefited from this conflict is the US, which has been seeking to make the most out of the war in Ukraine.
This comes after the EU just released its ninth package of sanctions against Russia that prohibits its citizens from becoming high-ranking employees in Russian companies.