A new US-Russia meeting, without Europe
One week after the meeting between Russian and American foreign ministers from Riyadh, the diplomat teams of the two countries meet, on February 27, in Istanbul. Again, without the presence of Europe or Ukraine.
The Turkish meeting focuses on the return of the diplomatic staff and the complete resumption of diplomatic relations, after several expulsions of the diplomatic staff, in the last three years, under the Biden Administration.
The Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told Tass that the Istanbul meeting shows the world « as fast and efficient can advance both parties. »
Prayed to comment on the Western signals regarding the permanent freezing of Russian assets from abroad, worth about $ 300 billion, Lavrov said: « As for our assets, which were stolen by Europeans, we have not discussed anything about them. But we have no doubt that this topic will not disappear and it will be part of the final understanding ”.
Lavrov then accused the European leaders of trying to sabotage peace efforts. « Russia is waiting for Europeans to cease with lies that Russia blocks negotiations. Europe applies an outdated policy and without any chance in Ukraine and pushes Kiev to continue the fight. When the power balance in Ukraine has changed, as it was obvious to the last vote in the United Nations (when the US voted against a Euro-Ukrainian resolution for the conviction of Russia for aggression), Europe immediately tried to undermine this trend, announcing large packages of military aid for Kiev, pushing Ukraine to continue the war and That, for Ukraine, peace in these conditions is worse than war. Moscow believes that the most important help from those who want to help resolve the conflict is to realize where this conflict has left. «
As for European plans to create an army to be sent to Ukraine, Russia has constantly rejected this option. « The approach that is now imposed by Europeans, first of all by the French and British, aims to heat the conflict and prevent any attempt to calm it down, » said Lavrov.
