Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov gave Trump a pass in a recent interview with Russian media outlet Kommersant. Lavrov also couldn’t resist to take a swipe at the Kremlin’s favorite enemy, the United States, with a comment about racism in America. He also made statements on Russian red lines and peacekeepers in Donbass.
“US President Donald Trump is forced to make anti-Russian decisions under the pressure of his national political opponents, however, judging by personal meetings, he is not refusing his pre-election pledges to restore relations with Moscow,” wrote Russian state news agency TASS, summarizing Lavrov’s comments.
Lavrov Finds Opening In Trump Speech
“This charge on Russophobia is really unprecedented. This was not the case during the Cold War. There were some rules, mutual decorum. Now all the decorum is thrown aside,” declared the Russian foreign minister.
Lavrov suggested the U.S. Congress is driving foreign policy with Russia, “One must, probably, understand that in conditions when some bills are passed by a majority of votes (95%), the president is no longer thinking about the nature of this law, whether it is real, legal, legitimate or decent, but that still his veto will be overcome.”
“When US President Donald Trump took me to the White House, talked with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Hamburg, and then they talked on the phone, I did not see the charge of Donald Trump on some actions that would undermine his campaign slogans about what he wants good relations with Russia.”
Lavrov stated the GOP is forcing Trump’s hand as he is not an ‘Establishment’ president.
“The second factor is that most of the Republican Party also found themselves in a situation when they received an off-system president who “did not grow through” all the steps of the republican establishment and who got the votes of voters in the primaries during the “glade” of the Republicans. No matter how you treat the actions of US President Donald Trump, no matter how qualified it is not very, perhaps, familiar to traditional diplomats and political scientists actions …”
“He’s like an elephant in a china shop destroying all international agreements.”
Lavrov Says No New Russian Military Bases Abroad Anytime Soon, Despite Rumors Of Vietnam, Cuba
“Whatever the attitude towards these actions, now we are talking about the reasons for the completely unprecedented outrage of American politicians. Republicans also do not like that a man came to power who proved that the system that existed for many decades (more than a hundred years), when two parties wrote down the rules of the game (I today come to power for four years, then for four more, and you sit for a while in business, then it’s your turn, and I’ll sit in business), collapsed, because Donald Trump came. But he did not come because he was a messiah, but because the society was tired and began to feel uneasy about the traditional non-eventual change of the leader.”
Then there were the racism comments.
“If you look at the structure of American society, it also becomes clear that interesting demographic processes are taking place there. It is no accident that ethnic elements now cause long and profound controversy about whether racism is reviving or exacerbating, which has always been latent or obviously present in American politics. These are all very complicated processes that will last a long time.”
An interesting statement on the ‘Putin Doctrine’ of Russia having the right to ‘protect’ Russian citizens in other countries.
“The border of the Russian Federation is a “red line”. But the fact is that we have legitimate interests, there are Russians who suddenly found themselves abroad, when the USSR collapsed, we have cultural and historical, close personal and family ties with our neighbors.”
When asked about U.N. peacekeepers in Ukraine, Lavrov stated, “It does not depend on us.” If it depended on us, they would have appeared there long ago.”
