Russia warns that US sanctions could put an end to East-West relations.
(Baonghean.vn) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned on November 30 that by plotting to undermine the Russian economy through sanctions, the US and its European satellite states have ended cooperation between East and West.
Speaking at a meeting of the OSCE Council of Ministers in Skopje (North Macedonia), Lavrov stated: “In an attempt to undermine the Russian economy, the US and its European satellite states have imposed thousands of sanctions against Russia, thereby ending the extensive practical cooperation between East and West in our once-common region.” Foreign Minister Lavrov also accused the OSCE of becoming a “subsidiary” of NATO and the EU. He said: “The OSCE is essentially being turned into a subsidiary of NATO and the EU… Let’s face the fact that this organization is on the brink of collapse. A simple question arises: Is investing in reviving the organization worthwhile?”
Furthermore, Foreign Minister Lavrov added that in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the European Union (EU) continues to "play its assigned role responsibly," as the bloc recognizes all the negative impacts on its own economy but still abandons "all forms of economic cooperation" that once brought prosperity to EU member states.
Lavrov emphasized: “The EU has set aside the original goal of its creators, which was to improve the welfare of member states, and in many ways has turned the efforts of the Brussels bureaucracy into an aggressive geopolitical project.” Foreign Minister Lavrov arrived in Skopje on the evening of November 29. This was his first visit to Europe since the start of Russia’s military operation in neighboring Ukraine, not counting visits to Belarus and Türkiye.
The Russian Foreign Minister's most recent visit to Europe took place on January 21 last year, when he visited Geneva to hold talks with his American counterpart, Antony Blinken.
