Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov has criticized the United States’ (US) attempts to link trade matters to the conflict in Ukraine, calling such efforts unacceptable.
In an interview with The Indian Express on February 11, Sergey Ryabkov dismissed US calls for other countries to scale back or end trade ties with Moscow, arguing that economic relations should not be tied to the situation in Ukraine.
Ryabkov reiterated Moscow’s position that Russia is not formally at war with Ukraine but is instead carrying out what it described as a special military operation authorized by the president.
According to him, the stated objective of the operation is to protect Russians and Russian-speaking communities in Ukraine.
“This is completely unacceptable. We are not in a war with Ukraine. We are operating under a special military operation mandated by the president, with the only purpose to protect Russians and Russian-speaking people living in Ukraine.”
He also said that Western interpretations of the conflict differ fundamentally from Russia’s own view, stressing that Moscow rejects any attempts to link trade restrictions or sanctions to the situation.
Ryabkov expressed hope that countries such as India would take a balanced and reasonable approach to the issue.
“The Western understanding and explanation of what’s going on has nothing to do with our own. So, we reject and completely dissociate ourselves with any attempts to link one with the other. There should be no place for such sanctioning and such linkages. I hope reasonable people like those of India will appreciate and understand this equally,” he said.
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US Sanctions on Russia Still Remain
On February 9, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the United States has yet to remove any of the sanctions imposed on Moscow, despite signaling an interest in cooperation.
He noted that while the Donald Trump administration has spoken about the possibility of ending the conflict in Ukraine, encouraging mutually beneficial investment, and exploring joint projects with Russia, it has not moved to revise or repeal legislation introduced to penalize Moscow.
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The Russian diplomat cited sanctions placed late last year on Russia’s oil producers, including Rosneft and Lukoil, as well as the US targeting Russian oil shipments at sea.
Lavrov also accused Washington of pressuring Russia’s trading partners to turn to higher-cost American liquefied natural gas supplies.
According to Lavrov, US policy has increasingly sought to assert dominance in the global energy market while constraining competitors.
He added that although Russia remains open to engagement with all countries, including the United States, Washington has continued to erect barriers to cooperation.
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