LONDON, March 10 (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday he did not think the conflict in Ukraine would escalate into a nuclear war, but warned the United States and Europe that Russia would never want to depend on the West any longer.
“I don’t want to believe it, and I don’t believe it,” Lavrov told reporters in Turkey when a Kremlin-based reporter for the Russian newspaper Kommersant asked him if he thought a nuclear war might start. Issues are raised and discussed by Western countries.
Lavrov also said claims that Russia might attack the former Soviet Baltic states such as Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia “seem to be an old trick”. These countries are now EU and NATO members.
Lavrov said that Russia was moving away from the West and could overcome all economic consequences, which had already been imposed by the West on Russia with severe sanctions.
“We will come out of this crisis with a new mindset and understanding: we will no longer have any illusions that the West can be a reliable partner,” Lavrov said. Significant areas of our people are no longer dependent on the West.”
When asked about U.S. energy sanctions on Russia, Lavrov said Russia would not try to convince any buyers to buy its energy.
Russia’s oil and gas have their own markets, he said. It is clear that Lavrov is referring to the world‘s second largest economy – China. (over)
Compiled by Liu Jing; edited by Li Jun