Putin's Minister Says 'Special Military Operation Was Inevitable,' Accuses Ukraine Of 'Trampling' Rights Of Russian Citizens

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday defended Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine at the U.N. Security Council meeting in New York. 

What Happened: Lavrov, in his speech, accused Ukraine of threatening Russia's security and "brazenly trampling" the rights of Russians, adding that it all "simply confirms the decision to conduct the special military operation was inevitable," Reuters reported. 

See Also: Richard Nixon Was Exposed To 'Massive Dosages' Of Radiation During 1959 Moscow Trip, Declassified Papers Reveal

"The intentional fomenting of this conflict by the collective West remained unpunished," he said as he blamed nations supplying weapons to Ukraine and training its soldiers against Russia.

Lavrov was the only one in the council chamber from Russia to deliver his address at the meeting attended by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Lavrov did not listen to anyone else speak, the report noted. 

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, in his address, took a jibe at Lavrov and said, "I noticed today that Russian diplomats flee as aptly as Russian forces."

"The amount of lies coming from Russian diplomats is quite extraordinary," Kuleba added.

Meanwhile, Blinken also slammed Putin's war in Ukraine. He said, "President Putin…choosing not to end the war but to expand it."

He added, "How has this aggression against Ukraine by President Putin improved the lives or prospects of a single Russian citizen?"

Check out more of Benzinga's Europe and Asia coverage by following this link.