Lavrov: There Will Be No Restoration of Previous Relations with the West

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated during a press conference dedicated to European security that expectations for the restoration of Russia's previous relations with the West in the field of European security should not be held against the backdrop of the current actions of collective Western countries and the OSCE.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry emphasized that at some point, Western neighbors and former partners will be interested in resuming joint efforts in European security. However, according to Lavrov, such restoration will not work since restoration implies a return to what existed before, which will no longer occur as "business is not as it was before."

Furthermore, the foreign minister clarified that the current actions of the OSCE and the West raise "difficult questions" regarding the nature of the relationship between Russia and the organization, as well as questions about the future of the OSCE itself.

Lavrov concluded that if the West understands that it is better to coexist with Russia on some agreed basis, the Russian side will listen to Western proposals, but it is clear that they must represent "a fundamentally new beginning of cooperation."