Moscow criticizes German ambassador over Berlin's support for Ukraine

The Russian Foreign Ministry has criticized German Ambassador Alexander Graf Lambsdorff following his calls for peace in Ukraine.

The spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, wrote on her Telegram channel on Sunday that Lambsdorff should direct his appeals to the West and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Direct responsibility for deaths lies with the West, which is provoking the continuation of bloodshed through arms deliveries, she argued.

The criticism was triggered by Lambsdorff's remarks at a Christmas concert in Moscow attended by several hundred spectators, where he expressed his hope for peace.

Zakharova had also criticized the ambassador the previous year for his commemoration of war victims at the Christmas concert.

The spokeswoman later emphasized in another Telegram post that she was not criticizing the message of peace but rather, for example, what she called Germany's involvement in the 2014 coup in Ukraine, arms deliveries and the blockade of negotiations by the West.

Nearly three years ago, Russian President Vladimir Putin began the invasion of Ukraine with a massive missile attack on the neighbouring country. Since then, hundreds of cities and towns in Ukraine have been destroyed.

Estimates suggest that tens of thousands of people, including many civilians, have been killed.

Many war crimes, especially by the Russian army, have been documented. Nevertheless, the Kremlin holds only Ukraine and the West responsible for the violence.

Zakharova reiterated once again that Kiev had blocked the peace negotiations. Russia presents itself as willing to engage in talks externally but sets conditions for peace negotiations that border on Ukraine's capitulation.