Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accused the West of seceding from Serbia, arguing that the principle of self-determination of peoples has been used arbitrarily.
During the "Future 2050 Forum" in Moscow, Lavrov stated that Kosovo seceded without a referendum and without the will of the people, calling this an unjust action by the West.
He used the occasion to justify Russian aggression in Ukraine, accusing Europe of supporting “terrorist attacks” and a campaign to suppress the Russian language in the Donbas and Crimea regions. Lavrov specifically mentioned Great Britain as a powerful supporter of Ukraine in these operations.
"They relied on the principle of self-determination of peoples, on the first page of the UN Charter. Through this principle, in a situation where there were no wars, no risks of armed conflict, they took and separated Kosovo from Serbia and said - it is the right of self-determination of peoples. Even though there was no referendum there, no one there self-determined," Lavrov said.