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Lavrov added that Russia's objectives will expand still further
if the West delivers long-range weapons to Kyiv, the agency
said.
When Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, President Vladimir Putin
denied any intention of occupying Ukrainian territories, saying
his aim was to demilitarise and "denazify" the country - a
statement dismissed by Kyiv and the West as a pretext for an
imperial-style war of expansion.
After being beaten back in an initial attempt to take the
capital Kyiv, Russia's defence ministry said on March 25 that
the first phase of the special operation was complete and it
would now focus on "achieving the main goal, the liberation of
Donbas".
Nearly four months later, it has taken Luhansk, one of two
regions that make up the Donbas, but remains far from capturing
all of the other, Donetsk.
However, its forces have already seized territory way beyond
Donbas, especially in the southern Zaporizhzhia and Kherson
regions, and continue to launch missile strikes on cities across
Ukraine.
(Reporting by Reuters)
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