On April 24, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated that the United States must take into account Russia’s national interests to build mutually beneficial cooperation but has not yet done so.
Lavrov explained that the American side offers Moscow concessions in resolving the Ukrainian crisis in exchange for promises of “huge economic prospects,” while simultaneously attempting to exclude Russia from global resource supplies.
“If we are ready to carry out mutually beneficial projects on our territory and provide Americans with what they are interested in, taking into account our interests, then our interests must be taken into account. We do not see this happening,” he was quoted as saying by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
The minister noted that Russia had been willing to discuss Ukraine even during the Alaska talks but now Western partners are beginning to “hesitate” on the issue. Lavrov added that international law must be respected beyond Russia’s natural resources.
“This is an unusual situation — a return to when there was no framework for international relations,” he concluded. “It has been bluntly stated that the interests of the United States prevail over any international agreements.”
