The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that he does not expect any changes in the US policy towards Russia or Ukraine under the administration of Donald Trump, because all American governments have an interest in weakening Russia, DPA reported, quoted by BTA.
„They feel at ease when they weaken Russia and its influence,” Lavrov said in an interview with Russian state television. Russia has repeatedly accused the US of supporting the war in Ukraine, specifically to weaken Moscow.
„In the end, everything that is happening can be explained by the desire to eliminate Russia as a rival,”, Lavrov said. He added that Washington will continue to strive to keep everything under control. Lavrov will represent Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro next week, where he will also meet with American representatives.
During his campaign, Trump said he intended to end the war in Ukraine through a deal with Russia, though he did not reveal more details about how that would be done. Putin congratulated Trump last week on his election victory and expressed readiness for dialogue. At the same time, he emphasized that Trump is unpredictable and added that it remains to be seen what the new American government will really do.
However, Lavrov spoke against freezing the conflict and renewing the Minsk agreements to resolve it. Agreements brokered by Germany and France in 2014 and 2015 provided for, among other things, autonomy for Donbass - something Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later rejected.
Russia attacked Ukraine on February 22, 2022, according to Moscow, to prevent an attempt by Kiev to militarily retake parts of Donetsk and Luhansk regions controlled by pro-Russian separatists, DPA said.