Russian Foreign Minister tells Carlson in interview how the war in Ukraine could end

Lavrov stated that for peace in Ukraine, there should be no NATO, military bases, or exercises involving foreign troops. Additionally, the West would have to consider the realities on the ground for an agreement on Ukraine. He also mentioned another condition desirable for Russia.

Lavrov asserted that many in Russia would like to make the removal of sanctions a condition for an agreement on Ukraine, but the country had withstood them and become stronger.

In addition, he repeated a number of other Russian narratives and also touched on the topic of US-Russian relations. In particular, his statements include the following:

• Since the US is financing Ukraine and allowing strikes on Russian territory, Russia is sending signals. One of these was the testing of the Oreshnik system;
• Russia does not want to escalate the situation and hopes the US will take its signal, in the form of the Oreshnik test, seriously;
• Russia is ready to send additional messages to the West if it does not draw the necessary conclusions in light of the Oreshnik launch;
• The Oreshnik strike showed that Russia is prepared to use any means to prevent the West from achieving its strategic defeat;
• The US knew in advance about the Oreshnik launch and did not see anything particularly dangerous in the test;
• Russia sees no reason why Moscow and Washington cannot cooperate "for the sake of the Universe";
• Moscow does not believe the resolution of the Ukrainian issue is solely the responsibility of Russia and the US;
• Russia and the US are not officially at war; what is happening in Ukraine is a hybrid war;
• Russia would not have started the special military operation had the West and Kyiv adhered to the Minsk agreements;
• Russia does not intend to destroy Ukraine; the two nations are "brothers and sisters" to the Russian people;
• Russia is not considering a war with the US and does not want one; such a war could be nuclear, and Moscow’s primary goal is to avoid it;
• The formula for no nuclear war corresponds to the vital interests of both Russia and the US; there can be no winners in such a war;
• Russia would like normal relations with the US and sees no reason why the two countries cannot cooperate;
• Donald Trump is a strong man who does not like to delay matters; he is friendly in conversation, but that does not mean he is pro-Russian;
• Russia will judge the Trump administration by its concrete actions, but Joe Biden aims to leave a heavy legacy for him;
• The ball is in Trump’s court in terms of contact with the new US president;
• Communication channels between Russia and the US exist, though they are primarily used for the exchange of people serving sentences in both countries;
• According to open sources, the US, the UK, and other nations support Islamist groups in Syria, which is a complex game.

Additionally, when asked by the American propagandist who makes foreign policy decisions in the US, Lavrov responded that he does not want to speculate, adding that this is a question for Washington.

Notably, early on the morning of December 4, Tucker Carlson recorded a video while on Red Square in Moscow. He announced the interview with Lavrov and stated it would be published soon. In his video, Carlson nearly repeated several Kremlin propaganda talking points.

Read more about Tucker Carlson in RBC-Ukraine's article.