- Lavrov praised Donald Trump’s efforts for dialogue and a peaceful solution.
- The presidents of Russia and the US considered meeting on the Ukrainian conflict in Budapest.
- Lavrov criticized the new sanctions of Western countries against Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is convinced that the United States will not take any steps that would cause further escalation of the conflict in Ukraine. According to him, US President Donald Trump has been promoting dialogue with Russia for a long time, he is trying to fully understand its position and has demonstrated his determination to find a “sustainable peaceful solution”. Lavrov stated this in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, which, however, according to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, refused to publish it, reports TASR according to Reuters.
“We rely on common sense and that Washington will maintain this position and refrain from actions that could escalate the conflict to a new level.” Russian state news agency TASS quoted Lavrov as saying.
According to Lavrov, Trump acknowledged that one of the reasons for the Russian invasion was the expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) and the deployment of its infrastructure near the Russian borders. “This is basically what Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia have been warning about for 20 years,” said the head of Russian diplomacy.
After a joint phone call in October, the presidents of Russia and the USA agreed on a meeting in Budapest to discuss a peaceful solution to the conflict in Ukraine. However, according to media reports, the American side canceled the meeting after concluding that Moscow was not willing to back down from its demands. and continues to demand, among other things, that Ukraine hand over the entire Donbas to Russia. The US proposed freezing the conflict along the current front lines.
Lavrov emphasized that the presidents’ negotiations can still take place, “if it relies on the conclusions reached in Alaska”. In the interview, the Russian Foreign Minister again accused Europe of trying to undermine American efforts to find a peaceful solution. “They are introducing new sanctions that will boomerang on their economy. They are openly preparing for a new big European war against Russia,Lavrov thinks. New sanctions on Russia were also recently imposed by the United States, which targeted the largest Russian oil companies.
