Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today held a private meeting with his British counterpart Liz Truss. During the conversation, according to media reports, she spoke about the need to withdraw Russian troops from the border with Ukraine, to which Lavrov said that the troops were not violating anything as they were on their territory.
Seeing the misunderstanding on the face of the British foreign minister, Lavrov asked a clarifying question: “You recognize Russia’s sovereignty over the Rostov and Voronezh regions, don’t you?” To which Truss replied: “Britain will never recognise Russian sovereignty over these regions”.
The British Ambassador to Russia, Deborah Bonnert, then intervened to point out Truss’s mistake and explain that these regions are Russian Federation territory.
Earlier, Lisa Truss stated that “Ukraine is a proud country with centuries-old history. They have faced invasions before, from the Mongols to the Tatars”.
Later, the British foreign minister came to her senses and commented on her words about the Voronezh and Rostov regions.
“I thought we were talking about Ukraine. Of course, these regions are part of Russia,” she said.