Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused Western nations of dragging out the Ukraine conflict, at a press conference following a meeting of the foreign ministers of the Caspian states on Tuesday.

"The more weapons are pumped into Ukraine, the longer this conflict will last," said Lavrov.

Lavrov said the strengthening of NATO on the eastern flank is a continuation of an unacceptable trend towards bringing the alliance closer to the borders of Russia.

When asked about the recent attack on a shopping center, in which Ukraine said dozens of people were killed, Lavrov said that Russian forces attacked hangars with American weapons in Ukraine's Kremenchuk, causing the shopping center to catch fire.