Lavrov says Donbas' liberation 'unconditional priority', 'no sign' of Putin's illness

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Sunday that the "liberation" of Ukraine's Donbas is an "unconditional priority" for Moscow, RIA news agency cited him as saying.

"The liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, recognised by the Russian Federation as independent states, is an unconditional priority," Lavrov said in an interview with French TV channel TF1, according to RIA.

For the rest of the territories in Ukraine, "the people should decide their future in these areas," he said.

He reiterated Moscow's claims that its "special military operation" in Ukraine is to demilitarise its neighbour after waves of NATO's eastward expansion and cleanse it of what it sees as "Nazi"-inspired nationalism. Kyiv and Western countries see those claims as baseless pretexts for a land grab.

"The liberation of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, recognised by the Russian Federation as independent states, is an unconditional priority," Lavrov said, according to a text released by Russia's Foreign Ministry.

For the rest of the territories in Ukraine, he said: "I do not believe that they will be happy to return to the authority of a neo-Nazi regime that has proven it is Russophobic in essence. These people must decide for themselves."

Russia's incursion, he said, became "inevitable" after Western countries failed to heed what he described as warnings about Ukraine's disregard for, and military attacks on, its Russian-speaking citizens.

Ukraine has denied making any such attacks.

In recent weeks, Russia has focused its drive on Donbas after pulling back from a failed advance on Kyiv and other Ukrainian regions.

"Yes, people are being killed," Lavrov said. "But the operation is taking so much time primarily because Russian soldiers taking part are under strict orders categorically to avoid attacks and strikes on civilian infrastructure."

The invasion, now in its fourth month, has killed thousands of people in Ukraine and displaced millions. According to the United Nations, more than 6.7 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Feb. 24.

There are some 14,388 cases of Russian alleged war crimes being probed by Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office and several Russian soldiers have pleaded guilty in cases of shelling Ukraine and killing civilians.

PUTIN'S ILLNESS

Lavrov also denied speculation that President Vladimir Putin was ill, saying there were no signs pointing to any ailment.

Putin's health and private life are taboo subjects in Russia, and are almost never discussed in public.

Answering a question, Russia's top diplomat said: "I don't think that sane people can see in this person signs of some kind of illness or ailment."

Lavrov said that Putin, who will turn 70 in October, appeared in public "every day."

"You can watch him on screens, read and listen to his speeches," Lavrov said in comments released by the Russian foreign ministry.

"I leave it to the conscience of those who spread such rumours."

Putin, who has been in power in Russia for more than two decades, sent troops to Ukraine on February 24, sending shock waves around the world.

Moscow's offensive has killed thousands of people, sparked the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II and led to unprecedented Western sanctions against Moscow.