The Russian Foreign Ministry has criticized German Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff over his calls for peace in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel on Sunday that Lambsdorff should direct his calls to the West and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Direct responsibility for the deaths lies with the West, which provokes the continuation of bloodshed through arms supplies, she argued.
The criticism was sparked by Lambsdorff’s comments during a Christmas concert in Moscow, attended by several hundred spectators, where he expressed his hope for peace.
Zakharova had also criticized the ambassador last year for his commemoration of war victims during the Christmas concert.
The spokeswoman later emphasized in another Telegram post that she was not criticizing the peace message, but rather, for example, Germany’s involvement in the 2014 coup in Ukraine, arms deliveries and the West’s blockade of the negotiations.
Nearly three years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin began the invasion of Ukraine with a massive missile attack on the neighboring country. Since then, hundreds of cities and towns in Ukraine have been destroyed.
Estimates suggest that tens of thousands of people, including many civilians, have been killed.
Many war crimes, especially by the Russian military, have been documented. Nevertheless, the Kremlin holds only Ukraine and the West responsible for the violence.
Zakharova reiterated again that Kiev had blocked the peace negotiations. Russia presents itself as willing to engage in external talks, but sets conditions for peace negotiations that border on Ukraine’s capitulation.
