The military officers of the United States, United Kingdom and France are present in Ukraine, not just mercenaries from those countries, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday.
"Before the coup d'etat [in Ukraine], hundreds of US citizens occupied seats in ministries, just as they now allegedly have their own mercenaries, but in fact there are military officers there — there are UK and French [officers]. We are well aware of this," Lavrov said during a speech at a diplomatic forum in Antalya.
The Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya is held from March 1-3 under the theme "Advancing Diplomacy in Times of Turmoil". The forum is dedicated to addressing global challenges and crises, as well as various key global topics including climate change, migration, anti-Islamism, trade wars, and artificial intelligence.