Lavrov Points Out “Visible Progress” in Russia Ties with U.S.
Addressing the 3rd Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in Belarus, Lavrov remarked, "progress in these relations is visible, but so far mainly in the fact that dialogue has resumed."
Looking ahead to a potential Russia-US summit, he stressed that Moscow seeks assurances that the encounter will produce concrete results. “We also need guarantees that the meeting of presidents will bring specific results. We are prepared for this result,” he said.
A planned summit between President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump in Budapest this month was cancelled. The two leaders last met in Alaska in August.
Lavrov voiced hope that Washington would pivot toward a diplomatic solution in Ukraine. According to him, Trump "wants sustainable peace" and does not support "pouring weapons and money into Ukraine," a stance Lavrov suggested could positively influence conflict resolution. “I hope that after all, the logic adopted by the US, the logic of establishing lasting peace, will prevail,” he added.
On strategic arms control, Lavrov noted that bilateral progress has stalled. He specifically highlighted that discussions over extending the Treaty on Reduction of Strategic Offensive Arms (START III) "have been off the table for a long time."
Russia anticipates a formal affirmative response from the US to its proposal for extending START III, Lavrov said, "so that they too agree unilaterally to comply with quantitative indicators enshrined in the New START treaty."
Regarding a potential new treaty to succeed START III, he clarified it would demand "a fundamentally different atmosphere in Russian-American relations."
Turning to civil aviation, Lavrov indicated that Moscow perceives Washington as not prioritizing the resumption of Russia-US air traffic. “So far, from our conversations with American colleagues, we feel that this is not their priority,” he said.
On the topic of sanctions against Belarusian airline Belavia, he described the situation as largely a "cunning story," noting it only involves "limited exemptions from the existing sanctions regime."
Finally, addressing Eurasian geopolitics, Lavrov accused the West of attempting to pull Transcaucasian and Central Asian nations away from Russia. "Such tendencies we will suppress by all available means - diplomatic, political, economic - of course," he warned.
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