MOSCOW, October 20. /TASS/. Moscow does not expect miracles from Washington, as the United States will remain a rival to Russia at best, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
"As for the Donald Trump administration, just look at what they are saying. In particular, what [US Secretary of the Treasury] Scott Bessent is saying about us and what Elbridge Colby, under secretary of defense for policy, is saying. We have information on how they treat our neighbors, friends and partners in Africa and Latin America. We do not expect a miracle," he noted at a meeting with university graduates entering the diplomatic service.
"We should keep in mind that, at best, they are our rivals and at the very least, our opponents. They aren’t prepared for fair competition," the top Russian diplomat emphasized.
"Look at what they are doing. Their tariffs have ruined the global trading system. There is no fair competition anymore. Once they become displeased with something, they sharply increase freight prices and insurance rates," Lavrov added.
According to him, the US passed the law named after the late Senator Lindsey Graham (blacklisted in Russia as a terrorist and extremist) "for a reason." He pointed out that the US president now had the right to impose 100% tariffs on Russian goods and 500% tariffs on goods from countries that are major buyers of Russian oil and gas.
"Some people here applauded, claiming that Donald Trump had refused to implement the law. However, this is not what he did. He said that it’s not in America’s interests to exercise his right to impose these crazy tariffs at this point," Lavrov explained. He also observed that the US authorities wanted "to prevent global energy markets from plunging into a deep crisis ahead of the elections, so they decided to let Russian diesel fuel be supplied to those markets."
"Most importantly, the law has no time limit. There is no need to admire Donald Trump for deciding to refrain from implementing it for the time being, guided by his short-term domestic interests. Another president will take office, and who knows what they will do," the Russian foreign minister concluded.