- Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the Biden administration of undermining President-elect Donald Trump's efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine conflict
- The accusation followed U.S. sanctions targeting Russian energy companies and vessels, which not only impacted Russia but also affected Serbia, a key Russian ally in Europe.
- Lavrov drew parallels between Biden's actions and a similar incident during the Obama administration, suggesting a pattern of Democratic administrations sabotaging U.S.-Russia relations before Republican successors take office.
- The Russian foreign minister accused the Biden administration of leaving a "difficult inheritance" for Trump, including rushing military aid to Ukraine and approving the use of American-made missiles against Russian targets.
- Despite these alleged efforts to complicate matters, Lavrov signaled Russia's openness to engaging with Trump. He nevertheless warned that Russia is prepared to escalate if necessary.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused the administration of outgoing U.S. President Joe Biden of deliberately undermining U.S. President-elect Donald Trump's efforts to resolve the Russia-Ukraine war.
Moscow's top diplomat made the accusations during a press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 14, in response to the Biden administration's sanctions targeting the Russian energy sector. Major petroleum producers Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegaz, as well as over 180 vessels and 30 oilfield service companies, were sanctions. But the impact of the sanctions weren't limited to Russia, as they also affected Serbia – a key Russian ally in Europe.
According to Lavrov, the sanctions aim to complicate Trump's ability to pursue diplomatic solutions to the Ukraine conflict. He remarked: "The Democrats have such a manner in American politics to spoil the whole thing for the next administration before the end of their mandate."
The foreign minister drew parallels to an incident during the final days of former U.S. President Barack Obama. The December 2016 incident saw the expulsion of Russian diplomats and the seizure of Moscow's diplomatic properties.
This, Lavrov argued, was a deliberate attempt to poison U.S.-Russia relations ahead of Trump's first term. Almost nine years on, the Russian official suggested that the Biden administration's actions are similarly motivated.
"From the moral point of view, you should just wait before the inauguration. You should understand that your people want a different kind of policy."
Lavrov signals Moscow's openness to talks despite Democrats' sabotage
Lavrov's remarks suggest a pattern of outgoing Democratic administrations sabotaging U.S.-Russia relations before Republican successors take office. He also made this claim during an interview with former Fox News host Tucker Carlson last month.
The Russian foreign minister accused the outgoing administration of leaving a "difficult inheritance" for Trump during his interview with Carlson. As Trump's inauguration nears, Biden has rushed to send billions in military aid to Ukraine and approved Kyiv's use of American-made long-range missiles against Russian targets.
"It'ss obvious that the Biden administration would like to leave a legacy to the Trump administration as bad as they can," Lavrov told the journalist.
Despite these alleged efforts to complicate matters, Lavrov signaled during the Tuesday press conference that Russia is open to engaging with Trump. "We will be waiting for specific initiatives. [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin has said on multiple occasions that he is ready to meet, but no proposals have been made yet," the top diplomat told reporters.
Lavrov's comments during his interview with Carlson last month also shed light on Russia’s conditions for peace. He referenced the 2022 Istanbul Communique, which nearly resulted in a peace deal but was allegedly rejected by Ukraine on the advice of then-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. (Related: Boris Johnson has meltdown after being exposed for sabotaging Ukraine peace deal.)
The agreement would have guaranteed Ukrainian security without North Atlantic Treaty Organization bases or troops in the country. Lavrov suggested that Russia remains open to negotiations based on similar principles. However, he warned that Russia is prepared to escalate if necessary, pointing to the recent use of the Oreshnik missile in Ukraine as a signal to the West.
Lavrov’s accusations of sabotage highlight the deep divisions in U.S. foreign policy and the challenges Trump will face in pursuing his promised diplomatic reset with Moscow.
For his part, Trump has repeatedly expressed his desire to meet with Putin to negotiate an end to the war. "I know [Putin] wants to meet, and I’m going to meet [him] very quickly," the president-elect said in a recent interview.
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Watch Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reiterating Russia's readiness to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine in this clip.
This video is from the Cynthia's Pursuit of Truth channel on Brighteon.com.
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