In an interview with Saudi Arabia’s Al Arabiya on Feb. 18, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov was asked about US-Russia relations in the wake of the recent hostile actions by the U.S. Lavrov described relations as “pragmatic,” and expressed his oft-repeated view that relations between powerful countries don’t always align, but when they do they should “reap benefits and implement projects.” On Ukraine, he noted that “we greatly value the stance taken by the Trump administration and personally by the President of the United States… We remain fully committed” to the agreements made in Anchorage, Alaska last year.
At the same time, he acknowledged the problems of late: “The Donald Trump administration announced US sanctions on Lukoil and Rosneft. Then the Americans announced they were demanding that India stops buying Russian oil. Then Venezuela happened. In the latest development, [the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the US Treasury] issued a resolution permitting the Venezuelan oil industry to resume operation but prohibiting the involvement of Russia, China, Iran and the DPRK. I mean, while the Americans sincerely told us that, once the Ukraine issue has been settled, we can begin mutually beneficial cooperation, for now, they have been trying to force us out of global energy markets.”