Lavrov says Russian goal to oust Ukraine’s president

By SUSIE BLANN
The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia’s top diplomat says Moscow’s current goal is to oust the government of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remark comes as the Russian military continues to pummel cities across Ukraine with artillery barrages and air strikes. It also comes as Ukraine is trying to resume exports of grain from its Black Sea ports, something that would help ease global food shortages, under a new deal tested by a Russian strike on Odesa over the weekend. Speaking to the envoys of the Arab League in Cairo late Sunday, Lavrov said that Moscow is determined to help Ukrainians “liberate themselves from the burden of this absolutely unacceptable regime.”