Photo: kremlin.ru
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Moscow is ready for contacts with Western countries with the aim of “improving” the situation in Europe and the Euro-Atlantic region, as well as reducing nuclear risks in the long term.
However, he emphasized that “to tango, we need two” and diplomacy should seek peaceful and political-diplomatic ways of resolving interstate differences and conflicts, including relations between nuclear powers.
In an interview with Argumenty i Fakty, Lavrov recalled that Russia offered constructive proposals and presented pragmatic, non-politicized proposals for solving urgent international problems. Specifically, Russian President Vladimir Putin presented an initiative in December 2021 to provide Moscow with legally binding security guarantees in the Western direction.
Lavrov noted that Russian authorities are open to contacts only on the basis of equality and with regard to Russian interests. The West must abandon its aggressive hostile course in order to succeed in dialogue with Russia.