Russia Not Ready for Only Verbal Security Guarantees From West: Lavrov

© Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation / Go to the mediabankHead of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov
Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 16.06.2023
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The Russian foreign minister addressed the modern state of relations between Russia and the West on the margins of the St. Petersburg Economic Forum (SPIEF), which is the largest event of its kind in Russia.
Russia is not ready to construct security guarantees with the West only on the basis of their promises or documents; its own security must be guaranteed, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
In an interview with RT on the margins of SPIEF-2023, the top diplomat noted that "in itself, the war unleashed against us is a geopolitical war."
According to Lavrov, "the denouncement of this situation may be solely in view of the fact that it is a geopolitical conflict," so its solution will mean, among other things, "the need to solve the problem of security guarantees."

"We will not be ready to build up these guarantees, relying on yet another promise or even some documents that the West may offer. We must guarantee our own security ourselves," the diplomat told the broadcaster.

Lavrov went on to say that Russia expressed a serious demarche to the United States within the framework of the group of experts of Five Nuclear-Weapon States in connection with plans to supply Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads.
"We are talking about F-16 aircraft that can be equipped to carry nuclear weapons...The US tried to deny this, saying that 'do you really think that we will give Ukraine planes that will carry nuclear weapons'," Lavrov said, adding that "our systems that will monitor these aircraft will not be able to distinguish an aircraft that is not equipped with nuclear weapons from one that carries nuclear weapons."
Russia's reaction to the F-16s flying over Ukraine or creating a threat to national security will be of a military-technical nature, the minister added.
SPIEF-2023: President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin at the plenary session. - Sputnik Africa, 1920, 16.06.2023
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In addition, the top diplomat noted the attempts of the West to put pressure on the Persian Gulf countries, "but they do not yield results."
As for Russia's relations with the countries of the region, Lavrov stressed that they have a long history and are formalized by ministerial meetings, the next of which, the meeting with the Gulf Cooperation Council, will be held in Moscow in July.
"Our relations with the League of Arab States and the Gulf Cooperation Council have a long history. In both cases, there are ministerial forums - both with the League of Arab States and with the Cooperation Council. We will have a regular ministerial meeting with the Cooperation Council in Russia in a month,” the minister stressed.
On the sidelines of SPIEF, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that Lavrov will participate in a meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization in Minsk on June 20.
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