Geopolitical tensions over Ukraine are a result of Western efforts to preserve long-standing regional divisions, the Russian foreign minister said Wednesday.
Western powers enacted tough economic sanctions on Russian energy companies in response to the Kremlin's policies regarding the former Soviet republic of Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it was the West that was out of step with the region.
"The Ukrainian crisis is a direct consequence of the attempts of our Western colleagues again to preserve and move to the east the dividing lines in the Euro-Atlantic area," he said.
Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula of Ukraine in the aftermath of political upheaval that follows Ukraine's pivot toward the European Union. Pro-Russian separatists have jockeyed for more autonomy in eastern Ukraine since then.
The crisis has spilled over into the regional energy sector, as most of the Russian gas headed to European markets runs through the Soviet-era pipeline network in Ukraine.
Trilateral gas talks in Brussels this week ended without a formal conclusion. A proposed deal would have Ukraine settle its billions of dollars of debt owed to Russian natural gas company Gazprom in exchange for a discounted price for deliveries.
Another round of talks is scheduled Oct. 29 in Brussels.
