(MENAFN) Russia’s ambassador to India, Denis Alipov, accused European countries of fueling the war in Ukraine, responding to an op-ed by the German, French, and British envoys published ahead of President Vladimir Putin’s upcoming visit to New Delhi.

Alipov described the article, titled “World wants the Ukraine war to end, but Russia doesn’t seem serious about peace,” as presenting a “grossly distorted” version of events. “We should recognize that piece for what it was: yet another attempt to mislead the Indian public about the origins and context of the crisis,” he wrote, emphasizing the need to “set the record straight once again.”

He claimed that Russia did not seek the conflict and pointed to European nations and the administration of former US President Barack Obama as responsible for triggering the 2014 crisis by supporting a coup in Ukraine. Russia sent troops into Ukraine on February 24, 2022, citing Kiev’s failure to implement the Minsk agreements, which were designed to grant special status to the Donetsk and Lugansk regions and were brokered by Germany and France in 2014.

Alipov argued that European powers ousted Ukraine’s elected president, Viktor Yanukovich, to turn the country into a buffer against Russia. He further alleged that the Minsk Accords of 2015 were never meant to secure peace but to buy time for Kiev to strengthen its military, noting that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel and former French President Francois Hollande later admitted they had acted in bad faith.

The article reportedly drew criticism from Indian officials, with anonymous sources cited by the press calling the European envoys’ op-ed “unacceptable and unusual.”

President Putin is scheduled to arrive in New Delhi on December 4 for a two-day state visit.

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