Russia’s response to Ukrainian attacks, West’s strategic error: Lavrov’s statements

MOSCOW, September 8. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Minister has given an interview to the online project "Sama Menshova."

During the interview, the foreign minister outlined Russia's response to Ukrainian terrorist attacks, detailed the West’s strategic miscalculations regarding Russia, and commented on the European Union's declining global influence. He also touched upon the prospects for a Ukraine settlement and evaluated the proposed moratorium on strikes against vessels in the Black Sea.

TASS has compiled the foreign minister's key statements.

On Russia’s response to Kiev’s terrorist attacks

"We warned that Ukrainian terrorist attacks on Russian civilian targets, including oil refineries, would trigger a retaliatory response that would be far more severe for Ukraine. That is precisely what is happening now."

On West’s attempts to maintain dominance

"The West's loss of its objective capacity to run the show is leading it to attempt dominance through thoroughly unscrupulous methods: sanctions, or even direct intervention, up to and including military action. They are simply clinging to the last opportunities to maintain their dominance."

"In historical terms, the West – and Europe in particular – is a severely wounded beast. It is becoming far more dangerous. There is less stability today than there was in the 1970s."

"Mediocre, compliant figures" currently stand at the helm of Europe, as the elite there has become thoroughly diminished: "The trend of Western politicians and diplomats becoming increasingly mediocre has been evident for years."

"The world is multipolar regardless, because America is weakening in terms of its weight in the global economy and, consequently, its influence in global politics. Europe is losing its position even more rapidly."

The West sought to weaken and break up Russia in order to get its hands on its wealth, but it miscalculated: "We can now see that the West miscalculated."

On Ukrainian conflict settlement

"Britain, represented by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, said it would stand with Ukraine to the end. Since Ukraine's end is not a happy one, I pity Britain."

Europe is scared to death that the US might return to the proposals it put forward at the summit with Russia in Anchorage: "They immediately rushed to badger US President Donald Trump to ensure he did not reaffirm his own initiatives, which had been accepted by Russian President Vladimir Putin."

Negotiations on the Ukraine settlement are not currently underway: "There are none."

Despite numerous opportunities to secure peace in Ukraine, the collective West has repeatedly prevented Kiev from doing so; therefore, it should now avoid "making too much of a fuss" with its "new ideas" on the Ukrainian issue.

If the West refuses to compromise, Russia will achieve its "goals not at the negotiating table--which would have been preferable for us, as Anchorage proved--but on the battlefield, as Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly confirmed."

About the idea of a moratorium on strikes against vessels in the Black Sea

"Officials [in Ukraine] are starting to say they won't survive the winter and that something must be done. They proposed--and persuaded the Turks to support--a Russian-Ukrainian moratorium in the Black Sea on strikes against vessels transporting civilian goods. However, it is impossible to monitor. This was already the case three years ago with the Black Sea initiative, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres proposed adopting, and we did accept it."

A return to the Black Sea Grain Initiative is completely unacceptable and unrealistic:

"They are trying to revive it now. This is completely unacceptable and completely unrealistic."

"The Ukrainians constantly abused it, as they periodically transported weapons on civilian vessels. And as for what was promised to us under this initiative--unimpeded access to global markets--Europe blocked it; that is why we walked away from that arrangement."

About Europe’s readiness to go to war with Russia

European elites ceaselessly bluster about their readiness to go to war with Russia, whereas Moscow has no intention of fighting Europe. If Europeans were to attack Russia, "it would be a fundamentally different war," and a "very short" one.

State Duma elections

The European Union is preparing special observers who will "secretly monitor" Russia's State Duma elections.

Russia’s foreign policy

"It is not without reason that the eagle on our coat of arms has two heads--facing both West and East. We keep a sharp lookout in both directions to ensure that, first of all, neither side poses any threats or makes any attempts to wrong us. Secondly, we carefully look out for where advantages for mutually beneficial relations exist. At this stage, all such advantages lie in the East."

Russia did not "fall out" with Western nations or take steps to undermine relations with them. On the contrary, it "maintained an extensive system of cooperation."