MOSCOW
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Monday said that his country has no desire to “take revenge” on the West, and that Moscow will welcome countries willing to work with Russia again.
Speaking to students at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Lavrov said Russia has no desire to “take revenge” or “take out its anger” on anyone, expressing Moscow’s position that anger, as well as the desire for revenge, are “bad advisers.”
“When our Western former partners come to their senses … and want to come to the Russian Federation and work here again, we will not push them away, but we will see under what conditions this can be done,” Lavrov said.
He further said that, from now on, it is necessary to resolve issues surrounding the conditions under which the West can work with Moscow in a manner that does not create risks for key areas of the Russian economy.
Lavrov stated that Russia is ready for dialogue and to work “honestly” with everyone, which he said was clearly demonstrated during negotiations between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Alaska last month.
The summit between Putin and Trump in the city of Anchorage on Aug. 15 was the first direct meeting between a Russian and American leader since the start of the Russia-Ukraine war more than three-and-a-half years ago.
On the Alaska summit, Lavrov said that the meeting last month showed the current US administration’s understanding of the need to resolve all issues based on respect for each other’s national interests, including the Ukraine war, regarding which he also noted Washington’s attention to the need to “eliminate the root causes” of the conflict.
Lavrov also said that Russia is interested in equal cooperation with all countries, including the US, with which he said Moscow has prospects for cooperation, particularly in areas such as the Arctic, liquefied natural gas, and space.
“They (the US) show similar interest,” he said, adding that Russia and the US can also establish cooperation in the field of artificial intelligence.
