Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov

Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov, a Russian diplomat who has been foreign minister since 2004, accused the United States of preparing the ground for the conflict in Ukraine as part of what he called a hybrid war against Moscow, Reuters reported.

At a press conference in the Russian capital, Lavrov said the crisis in Ukraine began long before Moscow sent tens of thousands of troops to the country in February last year as part of what the Kremlin called a "special military operation."

Washington and the West accuse Moscow of pursuing an unprovoked, colonial-style land grab in Ukraine, while Russia portrays the clash as historic between it and the West.

Lavrov also compared recent US actions to those of Adolf Hitler and Napoleon Bonaparte, saying Washington had subjugated Europe to wage war against Moscow.

Putin can announce a second mobilization wave at any moment

He stated that the Nazi leader and the French emperor once tried to use the same tactics against Russia.

"The United States, through Ukraine as a puppet, is waging a war against our country with the same task: the final solution of the Russian question," Lavrov told reporters at his annual press conference, BTA writes.

The Russian Foreign Minister noted that Moscow has not yet seen serious proposals for peace in Ukraine and that the ideas of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

Volodymyr Zelensky is a Ukrainian artist, screenwriter, producer and politician. Volodymyr (sometimes in this matter are unacceptable.

Lavrov said Moscow was ready to discuss the conflict with Western countries and respond to any serious proposals, but that any talks should address Russia's broader security concerns.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow, Lavrov again called on NATO to remove its "military infrastructure" from Ukraine and other countries near Russia's borders.

Lavrov also said the humiliation ethnic Russians in Ukraine are being subjected to is unacceptable.

According to the assessment of the Russian foreign minister, the West decides everything instead of Ukraine.

Volodymyr Zelensky

Sergey Lavrov