Sergey Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held the first telephone talks with the new US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. This was reported on the website of the Russian Foreign Ministry.
Lavrov urged his American counterpart to respect Russian laws and the judicial system in connection with the case of Alexei Navalny (founder of the Anti-Corruption Foundation – FBK, included by the Ministry of Justice in the register of organizations performing the functions of a foreign agent) . He drew Blinken's attention to “the problems concerning the persecution in the United States of persons who protested in connection with the results of the presidential election.” The Russian minister also spoke about the need to ensure the transparency of the relevant judicial procedures in the United States.
Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Moscow was preparing for a “serious conversation” with Washington about the comments of the US authorities regarding the Russian protests. She also advised the United States to “go about their own business.” On February 4, a group of US senators submitted a bill on sanctions against Russia to the US Congress.
