RIA Novosti: Ukraine Not Russia’s Backyard – Lavrov

MOSCOW, May 14 (RIA Novosti) – Russia does not consider Ukraine to be its backyard, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during an English-language interview with Bloomberg on Wednesday.

Ukraine “isn’t our backyard,” Lavrov said, responding to Bloomberg’s suggestion that Moscow must have been disappointed to see the West meddle in what it regards as its special interest zone.

“We don’t consider ourselves foreigners [in Ukraine],” the Russian minister said, citing more than 300 years of common history and the countries’ shared Slavic heritage.

The Russian foreign policy chief also called Kiev “the mother city of Russia” and the cradle of the Russian language.

“It’s impossible to miss the psychological historical family feeling,” he emphasized. [return to Contents]