March 12, 2025 (EIRNS)—Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a lengthy interview to American bloggers Mario Nawfal, Larry Johnson, and Andrew Napolitano. Nawfal was the only Western blogger allowed into President Putin’s press conference earlier this year, and Putin allowed him to ask a question. He also conducted an 75- minute interview with Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko on Feb. 27.
Lavrov began with his comments on the changing cultural situation in the U.S. where the voters had begun to reject the “new age” shift to alternative values and a return to traditional values, which he expressed his appreciation of. He noted in this respect how Russia had never moved in the direction of that cultural shift, but had always remained committed to traditional values.
He expressed optimism over Trump’s attempt to achieve peace in Ukraine. He said that there would no doubt be differences in the position of the U.S. and that of Russia going forward. “It is very well understood they told us that countries like the United States and Russia would never have their national interest the same. They would not coincide maybe even 50 or less percent. But when they do coincide this situation, if we are responsible politicians, must be used to develop this simultaneous and similar interest into something practical which would be mutually beneficial, be it economic projects, infrastructural projects or something else,” said Lavrov.
“It’s absolutely the way President Putin wants and does conduct our foreign policy. He always, since he became President, underlines in his contacts that we are not imposing anything on anyone and that we are looking for a balance of interest. Same logic absolutely,” the foreign minister clarified.
He then went through some of the history of Russia’s relationship with the West since the Gorbachev period and the numerous disappointments and broken promises that were strewn along the way, and particularly the promise of no NATO expansion.
He further focused on the run-up to the special military operation, beginning with the establishment of an independent Ukraine, the conflict over EU and Russian trade, leading up to the Maidan coup, the broken peace agreements, the rearming of Ukraine, and now the attempt by “Führer Ursula” to deploy a European army to face Russia. He noted how former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Victoria Nuland had claimed that the U.S. had spent $5 billion on the Maidan coup. He reiterated Russia’s determined position that Ukraine should never become a part of NATO. “I, by the way, would like to emphasize in these new circumstances after January 20, that the importance of Ukraine for the Russian security is many times bigger than the importance of Greenland for the US security,” referring to Trump’s expectation to buy Greenland.
