Russia’s top diplomat says Moscow hopes ‘signal’ to West is ‘taken seriously’

ISTANBUL

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview aired late Thursday that Moscow hopes its “signal” to the West with the use of its Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile is “taken seriously.”

“We don't want to aggravate the situation (in Ukraine), but since ATACMS and other long-range weapons are being used against mainland Russia, we are sending signals. We hope that the last one, a couple of weeks ago, the signal with the new weapon system called Oreshnik, was taken seriously,” Lavrov said during an interview with US journalist Tucker Carlson in Moscow.

Saying that Ukraine would not be able to use its long-range weapons without the “direct participation” of US servicemen, he defined the situation as “dangerous” and that its “signal” to the West must convey the message that Moscow would be ready to use “any means” to prevent a “strategic defeat” of Russia.

“The message which we wanted to send by testing in real action this hypersonic system is that we will be ready to do anything to defend our legitimate interests. We hate to even think about war with the United States, which will take on a nuclear character,” Lavrov said.

On Nov. 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country struck a plant in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro using an Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile in response to Kyiv's use of Western long-range weapons on Russian territory.

Lavrov further said that there are several channels for dialogue between Moscow and Washington, in which he said the US is repeating its public calls for Russia’s acceptance of Ukraine’s peace proposals.

Commenting on the terms that Russia would accept to achieve peace in Ukraine, Lavrov said that Moscow is ready to negotiate on the basis of the principles that were agreed to during talks in Istanbul in April 2022.

He stressed that the “key principle” for them is that Ukraine does not become part of a particular bloc, including NATO.

“No NATO. Absolutely. No military bases, no military exercises on Ukrainian soil with the participation of foreign troops,” Lavrov said.

Lavrov also said that NATO, under US President Joe Biden’s administration, is seeking to expand in Eurasia and is moving its infrastructure.

He also accused the Biden administration of wanting to "leave a legacy to the Trump administration as bad as they can."

Speaking about US President-elect Donald Trump, Lavrov described the incoming president as a “very strong” person and a person who “wants results.”

“This is my impression. He's very friendly in discussions. But this does not mean that he's pro-Russian as some people try to present him. The amount of sanctions we received under the Trump administration was very big,” he said.

He added that Russia respects the choice of the American people during the US presidential election held last month and that Moscow is open to contacts with Trump following his inauguration.