Russia awaits Trump's concrete proposals after his pledge to settle Middle East conflict, Ukraine issue

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that US President-elect Donald Trump's promise to “work very hard” to settle the conflicts in the Middle East and Ukraine deserves attention, but Moscow will wait for concrete proposals.

"We will wait for their proposals. When we are asked about this, we always emphasize that in any case, politicians who say that they are for peace rather than war deserve attention. But we have no idea what exactly they will propose," he said at a press conference held after the 15th Sir Bani Yas International Forum in Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Friday.

When asked if the attitude of Sir Bani Yas International Forum participants toward the situation in Ukraine has changed, the top Russian diplomat said he saw "more understanding."

"The forum prefers not to make the details of its operation public. But don’t think I will offend the participants by saying that the answer to your question is positive and there’s much more understanding and realism," he said.

As for Russian President Vladimir Putin's telephone conversation with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Lavrov questioned what the Germans and other EU and NATO members mean when they say they will stand with Ukraine for as long as necessary.

"Necessary for whom? Absolutely not for the Ukrainian people," he stressed.

Commenting on the increasing number of calls from the EU and NATO countries to establish contacts with Moscow at various levels, Lavrov said: "This means that they are probably not totally lost as politicians."

Regarding a US missile defense base that has opened in Poland, 165 kilometers (102 miles) from Russia's border, the top diplomat said this confirms Russia's assessments made 10 to 15 years ago when the US withdrew from the Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty, claiming the need to defend the EU against Iran and North Korea.

"We analyzed their plans and the way they looked and said right away that this had nothing to do with Iran, but was rather an attempt to create unilateral advantages in a face-off with our country, to ratchet up tensions, and to pursue a policy to contain Russia. All of our assessments have come true," he said.

In response to media reports claiming China is dissatisfied with Russia's overly close cooperation with North Korea, Lavrov asserted that cooperation with Pyongyang should not overshadow Moscow's relations with Beijing.

"It is impossible to put a wedge between Russia and China. We have not received any messages regarding our relations with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea," he said.

The minister pointed out that Russia and China have regular consultations to coordinate "the problems created by Americans and their allies on and around the Korean Peninsula."

"What stands behind it? Western political science circles are speculating that the Ukraine issue should be wrapped up, Russia should be met halfway concerning some of its legitimate demands, and then be used as part of a coalition against China. It’s a straightforward calculus," he said, adding that such attempts are "pursuing absolutely untoward goals."