Russia expects new UK premier to fight for British interests, neglecting interests of others

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday that he thinks that new British Prime Minister Liz Truss will fight for the UK's interests probably without considering the position of other countries.

"She has her own principles, which primarily relate to the intransigence of defending the interests of Britain without seeking to take into account the position of others in any way, without much desire to make any compromises," Lavrov told a news conference in Moscow after a meeting with his Thai counterpart Don Pramudwinai.

The minister said he doubted that such a position will help Truss strengthen UK's position in the world arena, which was weakened after Brexit.

"London has been actively trying to compensate for this loss of identity and loss of influence in the EU for quite a long period of time by taking rather drastic steps on the world stage, including aggressive actions on the situation that has developed around Ukraine," he noted.

Turning to the problem of the global food crisis, Lavrov said the West does not fulfill its promises -- stipulated in a July deal on the export of Russian grain and fertilizers to world markets -- and does not cancel logistical sanctions, preventing deliveries of the Russian products worldwide.

"We are working with the UN secretary-general and his staff to ensure that the agreements signed in Istanbul between the UN and the Russian Federation are implemented by the UN Secretariat," he said.

Türkiye, the UN, Russia, and Ukraine signed an agreement in Istanbul on July 22 to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports, which were paused after the Russia-Ukraine war began in February. A Joint Coordination Center with officials from the three countries and the UN has been set up in Istanbul to oversee the shipments.

- Thailand expects Putin to announce 'turn to Asia' policy

Asked about some media reports saying EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell called Russia "fascist," Lavrov said Moscow requested the transcription of his speech and that he will make the relevant conclusions in case the information is confirmed.

If confirmed, "then, of course, we will have very big questions about how to continue doing business with these people," he added.

At the interparliamentary conference of the European Parliament in Prague on Monday, Borrell -- responding to questions from some members of the parliament who demanded "concrete actions against Russia" -- switched to his native Spanish and, according to the official translation into English, said there is no "concrete plan how to defeat fascist Russia and its fascist regime."

However, Borrell's office refuted that he called Russia "fascist," saying the translation into English was incorrect.

For his part, Pramudwinai said Thailand expects that Russian President Vladimir Putin will be able to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November this year.

"This summit will be a great opportunity for Russia to announce its policy of turning to Asia and to talk about its commitment to post-pandemic development in the Asia-Pacific region," he said.