• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Press release on Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's talks with Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom Elizabeth Truss

10 February 2022 19:14
216-10-02-2022

On February 10, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom, Elizabeth Truss, who is in Moscow on a working visit.

The Russian side emphasised the persistently unsatisfactory state of bilateral relations. It was pointed out that there was no alternative to the British officials, including the Foreign Office's top officials, refusing to use provocative rhetoric and a policy for ratcheting up the sanctions pressure on our country. Sergey Lavrov pointed out that, as before, any unfriendly steps taken by the British side will not be left without an appropriate and a proportional response, but this is not our choice. It was emphasised that the crisis in bilateral relations initiated by London devalues ​​the importance of a dialogue with the British on international matters.

Central to the discussion was the issue of providing Russia with legal security guarantees in Europe. Sergey Lavrov stressed that the written responses provided by the United States and NATO and received on January 26 ignored the key question for Moscow: how the United States and its allies plan to follow the principle of equal and indivisible security enshrined in the fundamental OSCE and Russia-NATO Council documents, i.e., the refusal to strengthen their security at the expense of the security of other countries. The priority of the goals to ensure non-expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance and the non-deployment of weapons threatening Russia near our borders was emphasised.

When discussing the situation in Ukraine, the focus was on the disastrous nature of the efforts of individual countries, including Great Britain, to "pump" Kiev full of lethal weapons, which has a destructive effect on the Ukrainian regime's approach to implementing the Minsk agreements and creates the major risk of escalating the situation in Donbass.

It was made clear to the head of the British Foreign Office that London's anti-Russia activities in Ukraine and other post-Soviet countries cannot help but negatively impact Russian-British relations. It was noted that the ongoing attempts of the British to interfere in our internal affairs and the affairs of our neighbouring states are unacceptable and must be stopped immediately. More possible anti-Russia sanctions, which, according to the newly amended British law, can apply to any individual or legal entity connected in one way or another with the Russian state, if imposed, can be regarded as none other than an act of aggression. Our response will be measured and tough.

At the same time, Russia's fundamental constructive approach remains unchanged - we are willing to cooperate with our foreign partners, including Great Britain, to the extent that they are willing to develop relations with our country. It is up to London to decide.