Russia is not going to beg West to lift unilateral sanctions - Lavrov

Moscow hopes that the “point of no return” in the relations between Russia and the European Union has not yet been passed, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday, according to TASS.

Lavrov said “the EU line towards the Ukrainian crisis, including “the application of ‘double standards,’” as well as attempts to shift the responsibility on others and to use sanctions pressure — all this undermines trust and stability on the continent.

“We hope that the "point of no return" has not yet been passed,” Lavrov said at a joint session of collegiums of Russian and Belarusian foreign ministries.

Lavrov stressed that Russia considers the EU as its major important partner. “We are interested in a progressive development of cooperation on an equal and mutually beneficial basis,” he said.

Russia has no plans to implore the West to lift its unilateral sanctions imposed on Moscow, Lavrov said.

“Russia is not going to beg the West to lift unilateral sanctions,” the Russian minister said. “Sanctions are not our choice,” he stressed.

Moscow sometimes receives particular proposals: “let’s agree on certain criteria and we will tell you what you need to do, and then we will lift sanctions,” Lavrov said.

“We will not be playing such games,” the diplomat said.