In a rare U.S. television appearance, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov faced tough questioning Sunday from NBC’s Kristen Welker, who pressed him on the staggering civilian toll of Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

Appearing on Meet the Press, Lavrov was challenged over United Nations figures showing at least 13,580 civilians killed and more than 34,000 injured since Russia’s invasion began in February 2022.

“Mr. Foreign Minister, here are the facts: close to 50,000 civilians have either been killed or injured in this war,” Welker said. “Russia has hit maternity wards, churches, schools, hospitals — a kindergarten just this past week. So either the Russian military has terrible aim or you are targeting civilians. Which is it?”

Lavrov bristled, demanding evidence. “NBC is a very respectful structure, and I hope you are responsible for the words which you broadcast,” he replied. “I ask you to send us or to publicize the information to which you just referred because we never targeted the civilian targets of the kind you cited.”

The foreign minister went on to claim that Ukrainian forces, not Russia, were responsible for striking civilian areas. “Quite a number of churches were purposefully hit by the Ukrainian regime,” Lavrov said, repeating Moscow’s longstanding denial of deliberately targeting non-military sites.

Welker pressed again: “But what about your actions, Mr. Foreign Minister?”

Lavrov insisted, “We never target civilian sites. We only attack the sites which are directly involved in the Ukrainian military machine.” He challenged NBC to release detailed proof of Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure.

Welker pushed back, citing independent documentation and eyewitness accounts. “It’s all publicly documented, and we have reporters on the ground who’ve seen it with their own eyes,” she said. “All of the information is publicly available.”

Welker separately pressed Vice President JD Vance over whether Moscow is taking advantage of President Trump in ongoing negotiations to end the war in Ukraine, as questions mount over the credibility of Russia’s peace overtures.

In a tense interview, Welker pointed to comments from Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who told her that no meeting is currently planned between President Vladimir Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. That disclosure prompted Welker to ask whether Trump’s touted progress in peace talks was overstated.

“Are the Russians stringing President Trump along?” Welker asked.

Vance rejected the suggestion. “No, not at all, Kristen. I think the Russians have made significant concessions to President Trump for the first time in three and a half years of this conflict,” he said, arguing that Moscow has shown flexibility on core demands. “Of course, they haven’t been completely there yet, or the war would be over. But we’re engaging in this diplomatic process in good faith.”

Welker pushed back, citing Russia’s rejection of a Trump-proposed ceasefire, the absence of any planned Putin-Zelenskyy summit, and Moscow’s recent strike on an American-owned factory in Ukraine. “What makes you think President Putin is serious about peace?” she asked.

Vance countered that Russia has scaled back its original goals. “They’ve recognized that they’re not going to be able to install a puppet regime in Kyiv,” he said. “They’ve acknowledged that there is going to be some security guarantee to the territorial integrity of Ukraine. Again, have they made every concession? Of course they haven’t. But we’re making progress.”

Welker then pressed Vance on Russia’s attack last week on an American-owned electronics facility in Ukraine, which housed 600 workers but caused no casualties.

“Was that not a slap in the face to the peace process?” she asked.

“I don’t like it, Kristen,” Vance replied. “But this is a war. And this is why we want to stop the killing. The Russians have done a lot of things that we don’t like. A lot of civilians have died. We’ve condemned that stuff from the get-go. What I’m enraged by is the continuation of the war… What I’m actually excited about right now is that we have a president who’s engaging in energetic diplomacy to try to stop the killing.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)