Lavrov: US depriving EU of independence
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov asserted on Thursday, while speaking in an interview with RIA Novosti and Russia 24, that the United States is "depriving" the European Union of its "last signs of independence," and wants to "economically suppress" it.
The foreign minister said Washington's "colonial traditions" are showing as the US "exclusivity is realized through the desire to subjugate everyone [and] to achieve the next unilateral economic benefits." He said that for the US, democracy means the right to impose its own understanding of this term on everyone else.
Lavrov went on to accuse the West of lying about "Russia's refusal to negotiate on Ukraine." He emphasized that Moscow's diplomacy will continue to "promote its line [and] arguments," while clarifying the truth in the international arena.