Sergey Lavrov
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke about the desire of the European Union (EU) to “punish Russia.” He stated this on the air of the TV channel “Russia 1”.
Lavrov noted that the European Union is trying to keep up with the United States in imposing sanctions on Russia. According to him, in this situation, Russia needs to contact the EU using a “safety net”.
The minister stressed that Russia must do so as not to depend on the European Union if it continues to pursue a destructive policy. He stressed that Russia will ensure its own development independently and in partnership with countries ready for equal cooperation.
Earlier in September, the German authorities did not rule out a change in attitude towards the Nord Stream-2 gas pipeline and the introduction of sanctions against it because of the situation around Alexei Navalny. But so far the official authorities have not linked these events. At the same time, many German politicians urge Chancellor Angela Merkel to suspend the construction of the gas pipeline or completely abandon it.
Navalny got sick on the morning of August 20 during a flight from Tomsk to Moscow, the plane urgently landed in Omsk. On August 22, the oppositionist was taken to a Berlin clinic. German doctors conducted a study and announced the poisoning of the patient with the poison of the Novichok group. Russian doctors found no poisons in Navalny's body.
At the moment, Russia is subject to a number of sanctions that the EU, the United States and a number of other countries have imposed due to the entry of Crimea into Russia in 2014 and the exacerbation of the situation in southeastern Ukraine. Economic restrictions are regularly extended.