The Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said that Moscow is a supporter of terrorism and that Russia is a supporter of terrorism. The Lithuanian parliament s resolution branding Russia a supporter of terrorism amounts to provocation, extremism and political hypocrisy, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.
The Baltic nation s lawmakers passed a resolution earlier this week that stated that the Russian Federation, whose military forces deliberately and systematically bomb civilian targets, is a state that supports and practices terrorism. Since the beginning of the conflict in late February, Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of shelling residential areas. Kiev denies that it targets civilians, while Moscow insists that it only hits military targets.
On Wednesday, Zakharova said the three Baltic countries, all NATO members, have expressed no concern, condemnation or at least bewilderment over the actions of the alliance in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yugoslavia, which has resulted in hundreds of thousands of civilian deaths and the emergence of conflicts in places where they were not even contemplated. Because of this, Zakharova argued that there is no point in believing that the Lithuanian parliament's resolution has anything to do with pacifism or with any desire to resolve the extremely difficult situation in Ukraine. This should not have engaged in provocative activities over the last eight years if Lithuania is concerned with the fate of the people in Donbass and urges Kiev to follow the Minsk agreements, as an element of provocation, extremism and political hypocrisy, the foreign ministry spokeswoman said.
If Lithuania is really concerned, it would call for a ceasefire, oppose the supply of weapons to Kiev, and offer intermediary services, according to Zakharova. They are doing exactly the opposite, and they are doing exactly what they are doing. Russia attacked the neighboring state after Ukraine s failure to implement the terms of the Minsk agreements, first signed in 2014, and Moscow s eventual recognition of the Donbass republics of Donetsk and Lugansk. The German and French protocols were designed to give the breakaway regions special status within the Ukrainian state.
The Kremlin has demanded that Ukraine officially declare itself a neutral country that will never join the US-led NATO military bloc. Kiev insists that the Russian offensive was unprovoked and has denied that it was planning to retake the two republics by force.