(Finance) – “As regards the threat of sanctions, the Americans have been told that the package we are talking about now, accompanied by the total closure of those financial and economic systems that are controlled by the West, would be tantamount to breaking off relations. It has been mentioned and I think they understand it. ” This is what the Russian Foreign Minister Serghei Lavrovaccording to reports from Tass.
“If it depended on Russia – continued Lavrov – war would not break out. We do not want war, but we will not allow our interests to be trampled on either”. The Russian Foreign Minister defined NATO’s response to Moscow’s proposals for a European security treaty “ideological” and focused on the so-called “special purpose” and “exceptionalism” of the Atlantic Alliance. “I even felt a little embarrassed – said Lavrov – for those who wrote it”. Lavrov now awaits, after that of the US and NATO, the response of the OSCE to Moscow’s requests for security in Europe. “If our attempts to agree on principles acceptable to all on security in Europe do not produce results, – said the minister – we will take action in response”.
The next meeting between Russia and the United States on the diplomatic presence in the respective countries will take place in a few weeks. “In the next two weeks – Lavrov announced in an interview with the main Russian media – there should be another meeting. Now there is direct bargaining by the Americans”. The minister also said that Russia still has reservations to match the number of diplomats if Washington’s “rudeness” towards the Russian mission continues. The last meeting was held a week ago between Lavrov himself and the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Today, in the meantime, on the occasion of a telephone interview, the French president, Emmanuel Macron and the Russian president, Vladimir Putin – according to reports from the Elysée – they found an agreement on the “need for de-escalation” and “continuation of dialogue” on the crisis in Ukraine. During the telephone conversation of over an hour with Macron, Putin – the French presidency said – “did not express any offensive intention. He said very clearly that he was not looking for a confrontation”. On strategic security in Europe, the two leaders agreed on the continuation of the dialogue which requires “Europeans to be a party to this dialogue”, together with NATO and the US. Putin said he wanted to “continue the discussion started today with President Macron”. From Paris they specify that the “dialogue remains difficult” but the “channels of discussion are open”. Even the Kremlin has announced that Putin and Macron have agreed to “continue the Russian-French dialogue on matters relating to security in Europe”, given that Paris holds the office of rotating president of the European Council.