Lavrov vows tit-for-tat response to new US sanctions

Moscow will provide tit-for-tat response to Washington’s anti-Russian measures, attempts to communicate with Russia via ultimatums are fruitless, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with the Slovak Pravda newspaper, Tass reports.

The minister noted that the relations between both countries "are still under significant influence by US domestic policy conjuncture." He noted that "some forces in the Washington establishment add fuel to anti-Russian hysteria and try to block any positive progress in bilateral affairs."

"It’s no accident that right after the meeting in Helsinki, [US President Donald] Trump came under fire of his opponents, and Congress started to prepare new initiatives against our country," Lavrov continued. "In this context, the administration itself is not being consistent. Despite the promises of Americans that they are ready for dialogue, we still face unfriendly measures, which aggravate the difficult situation in our relations even further."

"For example, on August 8, they announced new anti-Russian measures on the account of our alleged involvement in the "Skripal case". Moreover, they threatened us with further pressure if we fail to convince the US that we no longer use chemical and biological weapons," the Russian top diplomat reminded. "It’s hard to take these demands seriously." According to him, these demands seem "especially strange, considering that we have eliminated our chemical arsenal completely, with confirmation from the OPCW, which cannot be said about the US."

"For our part, we continue to act in a calm and pragmatic way, reacting to all attacks in line with the principle of reciprocity. Of course, the attempts to speak with Russia in the language of ultimatums are fruitless," the minister stressed. "However, we remain open to building normal relations with Washington, based on mutual respect for each other’s interests."