In an interview with journalist Tucker Carlson on the “Tucker Carlson Show” podcast, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that Russia does not seek war with the United States, but will use all necessary means to protect itself.
Lavrov once again referenced Kosovo during the conversation, drawing comparisons to Crimea. In response to questions from the American journalist, who has faced criticism for his interviews with Russian officials, Lavrov argued that the United States creates problems and then looks for ways to exploit them.
In this context, he compared Kosovo to Crimea, saying:
“The United States and other Western countries recognized the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, claiming it was in line with the principle of self-determination. But in Kosovo, there was no referendum—just a unilateral declaration of independence. By the way, after this, the Serbs turned to the International Court of Justice, which ruled (well, they weren’t very specific in their judgment, but they decided) that when a part of a territory declares independence, it is not necessarily for the central authorities to agree.”
Lavrov continued: “Then, several years later, when the Crimeans held a referendum, with the invitation of many international observers—not from international organizations, but from parliamentarians in Europe, Asia, and the post-Soviet space—those countries said, ‘No, we cannot accept this because it violates territorial integrity.’ The UN Charter is not a menu. You must respect it in its entirety.”
