US Wary of Completely Destroying Relations with Russia

​In an interview with RIA Novosti news agency on December 31, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov commented on President Vladimir Putin's recent statement that Moscow is ready to restore "official relations" with the United States if Washington begins to respect other countries and seek compromise instead of "solving their problems with sanctions and military force."

Mr. Lavrov pointed out that Russian-American relations have been strained to the point of breaking down because of Washington, which has “officially formalized the task of inflicting a ‘strategic defeat’ on Russia.” Mr. Lavrov noted that, although the White House is careful not to completely destroy “what remains of the relationship” with Moscow, the United States is “clearly not ready” to conduct a dialogue “based on mutual respect and consideration of each other’s interests.”

Lavrov stressed that peaceful coexistence between Russia and the United States can only be achieved if Washington recognizes Moscow’s “fundamental national interests,” but the US ruling elite “denies the reality of a multipolar world and still thinks about its own superiority and exclusivity.” For Moscow, it does not matter who wins the 2024 US presidential election, because Washington’s political establishment “views Russia as an enemy and an existential threat,” regardless of party, Lavrov added.
Since Crimea voted in a referendum to become part of Russia in response to the Maidan coup in Kiev in 2014, the US has been the main enforcer of sanctions against Moscow, imposing more than 4,500 restrictions, according to Castellum.AI.
On December 28, the Financial Times reported that the US had asked G7 members to “find ways to seize $300 billion in frozen Russian assets” and transfer them to Ukraine. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia had a list of assets in the US, Europe and other countries that it wanted to seize in retaliation and that these measures had been analyzed “in advance”. Mr. Peskov stressed that Russia “will do everything” to ensure that such measures are in line with its interests.
Russia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, on December 30 accused the United States of complicity in orchestrating the Ukrainian attack on the Russian city of Belgorod, which killed at least 24 civilians earlier in the day. “We know that British and American consultants were directly involved in organizing this terrorist act,” he told an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council./.