BEIJING: Russia’s foreign minister has asked the US and NATO to cease selling armaments to Kyiv if they are “really interested in resolving the Ukraine crisis“, according to Chinese official media.

Moscow is stepping up operations in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas area, months after an invasion that failed to achieve its short-term goal of seizing Kyiv.

The “special military operation is proceeding strictly according to plan,” according to Sergei Lavrov, who spoke to China’s official Xinhua news agency.

China has refrained from criticising Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and has defended its close ties with Moscow, with state media frequently echoing Russian positions on the conflict.

“If the US and NATO are really interested in resolving the Ukraine crisis, then first of all, they should wake up and stop supplying the Kyiv regime with arms and ammunition,“ Lavrov said.

The Kremlin has repeatedly described Western weaponry sales to Ukraine as a security danger to Europe.

In an interview with Xinhua published Saturday, Lavrov said that Russia may “retool” its economy to protect itself against any “unlawful hostilities.”

According to Xinhua, he stated that the sanctions-hit country will focus on moving away from the US dollar and relying less on imports while increasing its technological independence.

For several years, Moscow has adopted a “de-dollarization” policy, urging allies such as China and India to make transactions in non-dollar currencies.

Prosecutors in Ukraine believe they have identified over 8,000 war crimes and are examining 10 Russian soldiers for alleged atrocities in Bucha, where dozens of remains in civilian clothing were discovered after Moscow’s departure.

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