Russian minister sees no U.S. policy changes with Trump

Moscow’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov does not expect any change in U.S. policy towards Russia or Ukraine under incoming president Donald Trump because all U.S. governments have an interest in weakening Russia.

“They feel comfortable when they weaken Russia and its influence,” Lavrov said in an interview with Russian state television.

Russia has repeatedly accused the United States of supporting the war in Ukraine mainly to weaken Moscow.

“Ultimately, everything that happens can be traced back to the desire to eliminate Russia as a competitor,” Lavrov said.

He added that Washington will continue to strive to keep everything under its control.

Lavrov is representing Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Rio de Janeiro next week, where he will also meet U.S. representatives.

During the election campaign, Trump stated that he intended to end the Ukraine war through a deal with Russia, though he provided no details.

Putin congratulated Trump on his election victory last week and expressed openness to dialogue.

At the same time, he emphasised that Trump was unpredictable, adding that it remains to be seen what exactly the new Trump administration will do.

Lavrov warned, however, against a resumption of the Minsk agreements to resolve the conflict.

The agreements, brokered by Germany and France in 2014 and 2015, had among other things, envisaged autonomy for the Donbas region, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky later rejected.

Russia attacked Ukraine on February 24, 2022, purportedly to pre-empt what Moscow claimed was an attempt by the Kiev military to reclaim the regions of Luhansk and Donetsk, controlled by pro-Russian separatists.