Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov complained that the United States first proposed understandings to end the war in Ukraine, then backed away from them. He said the talks took place in Anchorage, Alaska, during a summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
Lavrov said the US position was what mattered to Moscow. His interview was cited by TASS.
“For Russia, the US position on Ukraine was important, no matter what was said in Kyiv or by the ‘cave-dwelling Russophobes’ in the EU,” Lavrov said.
According to him, the US proposed understandings to Russia for resolving the Russia-Ukraine war. Moscow allegedly accepted those proposals, but Washington has now walked them back.
Lavrov called to “approach it like men” to resolve the issue. He also said that after the Alaska summit, Russia and the United States should have moved toward broader cooperation, but the opposite happened.
The foreign minister said Russia must ensure its security because, he claimed, there are threats from Europe of a possible war.
Lavrov said the West has unleashed a global war against Russia and is “trying to punish its partners.”
He added that the Kremlin will oppose the deployment on Ukrainian territory of any weaponry that would threaten Russia’s security. He did not specify which systems he had in mind.
Lavrov also commented on US sanctions against Russian oil companies, calling them an attempt to suppress competitors. He further complained that the United States is trying to control Russia’s military-technical ties with India and other parts of the BRICS alliance.
He said the West allegedly invented Russia’s “shadow fleet,” and that ships are being detained in a struggle to preserve “waning dominance.”
“Russia sees no ‘bright future’ in economic relations with the United States,” Lavrov said.
According to him, the Trump administration has not only failed to lift sanctions imposed by the previous Joe Biden administration “to punish Russia,” but has introduced new ones.
At the same time, Lavrov said Russia remains open to cooperation with the United States, but that American politicians are creating artificial obstacles.
Earlier, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said the agreement following the Alaska talks allegedly already contained compromises from the Kremlin.
Earlier, Lavrov accused Ukraine of being the first to strike Russia’s energy infrastructure, while the Kremlin decided to hit energy targets only in response.
Lavrov has also warned that Russia does not plan to attack Europe, but if the West strikes Russia first, Moscow will respond with all available means. He said it would not resemble the “special military operation.”
