We will not allow Russia to get involved in a Western-imposed arms race, Lavrov says

Russia will not allow itself to be drawn into a costly new arms race. This statement was made by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a webinar organized by the "United Russia" party, titled "The Foreign Political Conditions Under Which the Campaign for the State Duma Elections is Taking Place."

"We will not consider all kinds of threats and ultimatums, but will decisively respond to them by strengthening our sovereignty. ... We will not go for either isolation or confrontation. And we will not allow Russia to be involved in a costly new arms race, which some opposition members in the country often use to scare us. We already have everything we need for our defense," said the head of Russia's foreign affairs agency.

According to Lavrov, any unilateral concession to the West will be perceived as a weakness. "I am convinced, and this is not just a conviction because we have the experience of the early 1980s, that any unilateral concession from our side will be exclusively seen as a weakness. How our partners manage to do this, they pocket any unilateral concession and then put forward new unacceptable demands," the Russian minister stated.

Lavrov emphasized that Moscow will pursue an independent, nation-centered, pragmatic foreign policy.