Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the EU’s approach of clarifying Moscow’s “red lines” on Ukraine at a later stage as “not serious” and “ridiculous.” Lavrov also accused the United States of resorting to coups and assassinations to protect its interests, and Europe of trying to bring back the “colonial era” by pressuring Hungary.
In an interview with Russia’s OTR television, Lavrov emphasized that Moscow’s red lines on Ukraine were determined long ago, adding that the European Union’s search for clarity on this issue is “not serious” and “ridiculous.”
“Some EU officials have now begun to say: ‘At some point—not now, but later—we will need to talk to Russia to clarify its red lines and present our own.’ This is not serious. Saying they need to clarify our red lines is ridiculous. They were defined a long time ago.”
‘The U.S. protects its interests through coups and assassinations’
Lavrov stated that the United States only cares about its own prosperity and considers all methods legitimate to ensure it, including coups, kidnappings, and assassinations targeting leaders of other countries.
“The United States has officially declared that no one can tell them what to do. They openly say they only care about their own prosperity. They are ready to defend this prosperity by any means, including coups, kidnappings, or assassinations against leaders of countries that possess the natural resources they need.”
‘The repercussions of U.S. and Israeli actions will last a long time’
Lavrov said that the consequences of the actions taken by the United States and Israel are extremely serious and will have long-term effects.
“The consequences of what our American colleagues—together with the Israelis in this case—have done are extremely grave. The repercussions will continue for a very long time.”
‘The U.S. must consider Russia’s interests in mutually beneficial projects’
Lavrov stressed that Washington must take Moscow’s interests into account in order to cooperate with Russia on the basis of mutual benefit.
“If we are ready to carry out projects on our own territory based on mutual benefit and to provide Americans with what interests them—while also considering our own interests—then our interests must also be taken into account. So far, we do not see this.”
‘Europe is trying to revive the colonial era’
Lavrov described Europe’s pressure on countries like Hungary and Slovakia regarding energy policies as an attempt to “bring back the colonial era”:
“At the moment, Hungarians and Slovaks are fighting with all their strength to preserve affordable and accessible energy resources that drive their economies. They are being told: ‘No, buy it at twice the price, because Russia must be punished.’ This is not an approach consistent with international relations; it is an attempt to revive the colonial era.”
‘Russia’s closest allies: the army, navy, space forces, and UAV units’
Referring to the historical saying that Russia’s only allies are its “army and navy,” Lavrov highlighted modern military capabilities:
“Since the times of the Russian Empire, it has been said that Russia has only two allies: its army and navy. Today, space and air forces have been added; we cannot ignore them. We also have new unmanned aerial vehicle units. Therefore, the number of our allies is increasing.”