FM: Moscow agreed to US' Ukraine plan, but faces sanctions, dollar pressure

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has stated that Moscow accepted a US proposal on resolving the Ukraine conflict discussed during talks in Anchorage and expected the issue to be settled accordingly.

Speaking in an interview with TV BRICS, Lavrov noted that Russia places little importance on opinions expressed in Ukraine or the European Union, accusing most EU governments of what he described as “caveman Russophobia,” with only rare exceptions. He stressed that Russia was primarily focused on the position of the United States.

“President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said that it does not matter to Russia what is said in Ukraine or in Europe. What mattered to us was the position of the United States,” Lavrov said.

According to the foreign minister, Washington had proposed a solution to the Ukraine issue during the Anchorage talks, which Moscow accepted. “They made a proposal — we agreed. If one approaches this seriously, that should mean the problem is resolved,” he said.

Lavrov added that Russia’s acceptance of the US proposal signaled its readiness for broad and mutually beneficial cooperation with Washington. However, he argued that subsequent developments contradicted those expectations.

He cited the imposition of new sanctions, what he described as a “war” against tankers in international waters, and efforts to pressure India and other countries to stop purchasing Russian energy supplies. According to Lavrov, these partners are being pushed to buy more expensive American liquefied natural gas instead.

Lavrov concluded that such actions indicate the United States is pursuing a strategy aimed at economic dominance, saying dollar is being used as weapon against Russia

The FM said that Russia did not seek to abandon the use of the US dollar but that the United States has turned the currency into a tool of political and economic pressure against countries it deems undesirable.

He said Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized that Moscow did not initiate a move away from the dollar. “It is not us who are refusing to use the dollar,” Lavrov noted.

According to the foreign minister, US policy under former President Joe Biden deliberately transformed the dollar into an instrument of coercion against states viewed unfavorably by Washington.

By Vafa Guliyeva