Russia’s top diplomat, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaking yesterday to Indonesian newspaper Rakyat Merdeka, said “Attempts to engage in a dialogue with us from the position of strength are doomed to failure from the start: we will retaliate strongly and resolutely against any unfriendly moves.” Russia’s most senior diplomat had said earlier that “The Russian leader said clearly, including in public, that results in any area could only be achieved if the two countries found a mutually acceptable balance of interests based strictly on parity.”
Referencing constructive talks between Russian President Putin and U.S. President Biden in Geneva last month, Lavrov said “However, almost as soon as they were over, US officials, including participants in the Geneva meeting, redoubled their moralizing rage, saying they told Moscow what was what, sent it a clear warning, outlined US demands, etc. Incidentally, all these ‘warnings’ were later followed with threats: If within a few months Russia failed to accept the ‘rules of the game’ that were presented to it in Geneva, it would be subjected to more pressure.”
He then concluded his response to the newspaper: “Attempts to engage in a dialogue with us from the position of strength are doomed to failure from the start: we will retaliate strongly and resolutely against any unfriendly moves. Cooperation should be honest, if Washington really wants stable and predictable relations, to quote them say so.”