Lavrov speaks on dialogue with Washington and Biden's 'legacy'

In an interview with RIA Novosti, Lavrov discussed the current state of Russian-American relations and contacts with Washington regarding Ukraine.

"Considering everything, certain difficulties have arisen on this issue. Moreover, as far as we know, Brussels and London are trying to persuade Washington to abandon the intention to resolve the crisis through political-diplomatic means and fully engage in efforts to exert military pressure on Russia, essentially becoming part of the 'party of war,'" Lavrov said.

He stated that the Kremlin is currently awaiting confirmation from the US that the Anchorage agreements remain in force.

During the conversation, Lavrov also spoke about the US reaction to Russia's proposal on the Treaty on Strategic Offensive Arms and its status.

"The constructive initiative put forward by Russian President Vladimir Putin in the post-SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty) sphere speaks for itself. It is straightforward, without any hidden agenda, and its practical implementation does not require any specific additional effort. Therefore, we see no need for an in-depth discussion of our idea," he said.

The minister commented on Moscow’s potential response if frozen Russian assets were transferred to Ukraine.

"Such actions are outright deceit and robbery. Apparently, old instincts of colonizers and pirates have awakened in the Europeans. No matter how the scheme of seizing Russian funds is framed, there is no legal way to do this," Lavrov cynically noted.

He added that Russia would give an adequate response to any predatory actions based on the principle of reciprocity, guided by national interests and the need to compensate for the damage caused.

Additionally, Lavrov discussed the bilateral dialogue on irritants, the situation around Ukraine, and how long it would take the parties to "repair relations after the administration of former US President Joe Biden."

Trump-Putin meeting

Recall that on October 16, US President Donald Trump and Russian dictator Vladimir Putin announced after a phone call their intention to hold an in-person meeting within two weeks. Budapest was selected as the possible summit location.

Preparations for the talks were to be coordinated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. However, Trump soon canceled the meeting.

According to media reports, the reason was that Russia had not changed its maximalist demands regarding the terms for ending the war in Ukraine. Trump publicly stated that he "would not waste his time."

Soon after, the US imposed new sanctions on Russia's largest oil companies — Rosneft and Lukoil. At the same time, the US Treasury called on Moscow to immediately agree to a ceasefire.