How Russia Plans to Circumvent Western Sanctions: Lavrov Details

“Russia, together with Iran, intends to take practical steps that will allow it to bypass Western sanctions. Russia also plans to seek condemnation of the West's illegal actions in international discussions,” announced Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, as reported by RIA Novosti.

According to the Russian Foreign Minister, Moscow views Western restrictions as a mechanism that undermines the principles of “sovereign equality of states” and “non-interference in the internal affairs of other countries.”

Sergey Lavrov also expressed Russia's interest in strengthening cooperation with Tehran. It is noted that Russia and Iran are already developing a unified system for the transfer of financial messages to bypass the SWIFT international interbank payment system. The countries are also discussing the recognition of Russian payment system cards, known as “Mir.”