Russian foreign minister says Russia's war with Ukraine is 'meant to put an end' to US world domination and NATO expansion

• Russia's foreign minister reportedly said the Ukraine war was "meant to" stop US global domination.
• "This domination is built on gross violations of international law," he said, according to RT.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Monday that Russia's unprovoked war with Ukraine was "meant to put an end" to US-led global domination and the expansion of NATO, a report said.

"Our special military operation is meant to put an end to the unabashed expansion [of NATO] and the unabashed drive towards full domination by the US and its Western subjects on the world stage," Lavrov told the state-owned television news channel Rossiya 24, according to a translation from the Russian state-run media outlet RT.

Additionally, Lavrov accused the US of international-law violations over what he said were America's attempts to impose its own "rules-based international order," according to the report.

"This domination is built on gross violations of international law and under some rules, which they are now hyping so much and which they make up on a case-by-case basis," Lavrov said during the interview, RT reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his country's invasion of Ukraine on February 24, with Russian troops surrounding and shelling towns and cities across the country.

The United Nations' Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said Monday that at least 1,842 civilians had been killed in attacks across Ukraine, though it said "the actual figures are considerably higher." More than 4.5 million Ukrainians have fled the country during Russia's invasion, the UN said.

When Putin announced his invasion of Ukraine, he said he was seeking the "denazification" of Ukraine, a country whose democratically elected leader, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, is Jewish.

Putin has also attempted to defend the war with baseless allegations of genocide against ethnic Russians in eastern Ukraine.

Ukraine's pursuit of NATO membership has also been cited by Putin as a justification for his decision to invade Ukraine.

Zelenskyy said last month he had "cooled down" on Ukraine's bid to join NATO.

Earlier in March, Lavrov offered another reason for Russia invading Ukraine, saying the Kremlin was trying to prevent a separate war in Ukraine.

"The goal of Russia's special military operation is to stop any war that could take place on Ukrainian territory or that could start from there," Lavrov said, according to a tweet posted by the Russian Embassy in London.

Since Russia invaded, Ukrainian forces have put up fierce resistance, which has resulted in heavy losses for Russian troops despite Ukrainian troops being largely outnumbered and outgunned by the Russians.