MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov claimed on Friday that the EU is changing its strategy on Ukraine, betting on supplies of long-range weapons capable of reaching the "heart" of Russia.

Speaking at a news conference in Moscow, Lavrov said the goal is to sow panic within Russian society, to weaken the country from the inside.

"According to our data, the European foreign policy service made recommendations for Ukraine, asserting that it will not be possible to win by the methods with which Ukraine is fighting now, if Ukraine continues this way it will lose.

"Therefore, it is necessary to bet on the transfer of even more long-range weapons to Ukraine so that they reach the heart of Russia, as the EU describes it, and sow confusion and panic, undermine the trust of the people. Isn't this a direct participation in the war? Of course it is," he emphasized.

Russia launched its "special military operation" in Ukraine in February 2022. Since then, the West, led by the US and EU, has supported Kyiv through humanitarian, military, and economic means.

Lavrov said "the West openly declared" its war on Russia, dismissing claims of "only supporting Ukraine" and pointing out that the West participates in planning operations and choosing targets alongside Ukrainian forces.

"The main thing in war is strategy, and strategies are not in Kyiv, but far away," the Russian foreign minister said.

Assessing the role of Western countries in supporting Ukraine, Lavrov said London's position in the conflict is "more aggressive than Washington's line."

He reiterated Moscow's readiness to hold peace talks with Ukraine, noting that first Kyiv has to cancel its ban on contacts with Moscow.

The minister said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's "peace formula," which he presented in late 2022, is a set of unacceptable demands that do not suggest negotiations with Russia.

The Western society lives under the "information blockade," which was revealed by President Vladimir Putin in an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson, meaning there is no freedom of speech in the West, he said.

Asked about the reformation of the UN Security Council, Lavrov said it should take place, and new members from Africa, Asia, and Latin America should be added.

As for the additional members from the West, the minister said a "deserving consideration" is the idea of reducing the number of seats of Western powers in the UN Security Council to one, calling it a "collective West."

The UNSC is composed of 15 members: Five permanent members – China, France, Russia, the UK, and the US – and 10 non-permanent members elected for two-year terms by the General Assembly.