OYO, Congo, June 5, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
took aim Tuesday at the West and its supposed "objectives" in Ukraine and
Libya during a visit to Congo as part of his Africa tour.

He also told reporters he supports talks to reconcile warring parties in
Libya.

"We support the initiative of (Republic of Congo) President Denis Sassou
Nguesso which aims to organise an inter-Libyan conference," he said,
following a meeting with Sassou who also chairs a high-level committee on
Libya in the African Union.

Libya is divided between a UN-recognised government based in Tripoli led by
Abdelhamid Dbeibah and a rival administration in the country's east backed by
military strongman Khalifa Haftar, with whom Moscow maintains close
relations.

"What is happening in Libya is a tragedy, whose authors are NATO and its
members," Lavrov said, adding that "the same thing happened in Iraq and in
Afghanistan where the West wanted to impose its version of democracy".

"The most important thing today is to find an approach which assures the
reestablishment of the country," he added of Libya.

- Ukraine war -

Lavrov said that on the Ukraine war "President Sassou has shown
understanding", particularly with regard to "our actions".

"He understands well that Ukraine is an instrument of the West, whose
objective is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia," he said.

Sassou Nguesso, "like other world leaders", is convinced that a peace
conference on Ukraine scheduled for mid-June in Switzerland "makes no sense"
without Russia's participation, Lavrov added.

The Kremlin said on Tuesday morning that western army instructors who train
Ukrainian soldiers would have no "immunity" from Russian strikes, amid
reports that France could send military trainers to Ukraine.

"Whatever their status, soldiers of the French army or mercenaries, they
represent a completely legitimate target for our armed forces," Lavrov said.

For several years, Russia has been leading a diplomatic offensive in Africa
to supplant traditional Western powers there.

After leaving Congo, Lavrov and his team landed in restive Burkina Faso in
West Africa on Tuesday evening for a two-day visit. He was received at the
airport by his counterpart Karamoko Jean Marie Traore.

He is due to meet Burkina Faso's junta leader Ibrahim Traore on Wednesday.

Jihadist rebels affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have
waged a grinding insurgency since 2015 in Burkina Faso that has killed
thousands and displaced millions.

After taking power in 2022, Burkina's coup leaders expelled French troops and
diplomats, and have instead turned to Russia for military assistance.

According to Lavrov's entourage, he will also visit Chad, also in West
Africa.