GETTY Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov poses for selfies with German students

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Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the Ukraine crisis had been provoked by the "short-sighted policy” of the US and the EU. He claimed Moscow desires a democratic and stable Ukraine" in which no "artificial Russophobia is produced". Continuing to defend Russia, Mr Lavrov said Moscow was blameless when it came to the the annexation of Crimea. He insisted the regional parliament had been the only legitimate one at the time and that “Fascists took power in Kiev and the decision of the Parliament to join Russia was met”. Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014 sparking violent clashes and military intervention.

GETTY Sergei Lavro and European Union Foreign Affairs and Security Policy chief Federica Mogherini

It is flattering that we are regarded as a country that controls the fate of the world Sergei Lavrov

Mr Lavrov was giving a talk on "Russia and the EU in a changing world" at Berlin-based think-tank the Körber Foundation. He also rejected claims Moscow interfered with foreign elections following allegations Russia meddled in the US November 2016 election. Mr Lavrov said if Russia really did have the power to influence poll results relations with its neighbours would be very different. And he brushed off allegations that Kremlin-sponsored hackers attempted to influence last year's US presidential election which saw Donald Trump win the race to the White House. He said: ”In eight months of investigations, there's no single fact that's been put on the table. "It's just pure speculation about somebody from the team of the president meeting a journalist, sometimes a lawyer or whatever.”

GETTY Sergei Lavrov takes questions at the Körber Foundation

Washington has been rocked by claims that Mr Trump's son met a Russian-linked agent during the election campaign who was promising to provide compromising information about his opponent Hillary Clinton. Mr Lavrov said Moscow did not have the ability to influence the US elections or Germany's election this autumn. He claimed Russia's neighbour Ukraine would not have a government so hostile to Moscow if it really held that power. Mr Lavrov said: “It is flattering that we are regarded as a country that controls the fate of the world. ”If we really could decide on the fate of Germany and the US, then all the former Soviet Republics around us would not have the same attitude, so maybe there wouldn't be a Ukraine crisis in the first place. "If we were able to influence America we could influence all the other countries as well.”

GETTY Sergei Lavrov blames the EU and US for creating global instability

EXPLOSIVE: American tanks FIRE towards Russia Fri, January 20, 2017 Heavily-armed US military personnel were rushed to Poland’s border with Russia to warn Vladimir Putin against another Ukrainian-style land grab. Play slideshow US Army/Cover Images 1 of 10 A round is fired from an M1A2 Main Battle Tank belonging to 1st Battalion, 68th Armor Regiment, 3rd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division during the first Live Fire Accuracy Screening Tests at Presidential Range in Swietozow, Poland