The Ukraine conflict cannot be properly understood without looking at history, Vassily Nebenzia has said
Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia of Russia at a UN Security Council meeting, New York, June 4, 2025. © Lev Radin / Pacific Press / LightRocket / Getty Images
Western nations are using Ukraine as their proxy in a longstanding confrontation with Russia, which is deeply rooted in history, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia has told RT’s Rick Sanchez.
In an interview on Sanchez Effect aired on Friday, Nebenzia argued that the conflict “should be seen in a larger context.”
“They do not care about Ukraine. This is not a war between Russia and Ukraine,” he said. “Ukraine is a proxy in this war. This is a centuries-old war of the West against Russia, starting with the Polish invasion in the 17th century.”
Nebenzia cited Napoleon’s invasion of Russia, the 1854-56 Crimean War, Western military intervention during the Russian Civil War, and the invasion by Nazi Germany and its allies in World War II. He stressed that Hitler’s army included not only Germans, but also units drawn from allied countries and occupied territories.
The Ukrainians and “their sponsors” in the West sabotaged the 2014-15 Minsk accords, which were aimed at ending the conflict between Kiev and the breakaway Donbass republics, the Russian diplomat said. Former French President Francois Hollande and former German Chancellor Angela Merkel later admitted that the agreement was used by Kiev to buy time and rearm, Nebenzia stated. “We are not going [to fall] into the same trap once again,” he said.
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He added that politicians such as former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson similarly helped derail the 2022 peace talks between Russia and Ukraine.
Ukraine’s European backers were forced to adjust their position, Nebenzia argued, after US President Donald Trump launched efforts to broker peace and Ukrainian troops began losing more ground.
“They changed their rhetoric from ‘We should inflict strategic defeat on Russia’ to ‘Russia should not win in this war.’ Now they are advocating for a full, immediate, and unconditional ceasefire, which is testimony that they want to shield and protect their proxy, as they are obviously losing on the battlefield,” he said.
Nebenzia added that the resumption of direct Russia-Ukraine negotiations earlier this year provides hope that the conflict will be resolved soon.