FROM EIR DAILY ALERT
Russia Has Tough Response to Diplomats’ Expulsions, but ‘Won’t Give Up Dialogue’ with U.S.
March 27, 2018 (EIRNS)—The expulsion of Russian diplomats from Europe is the result of a blackmail campaign and pressure from the U.S., Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said today, in answer to a question from TASS.
“The conclusion that readily offers itself is that we were quite right when we said more than once that truly independent countries in the modern world and in modern Europe are very few,”
he said.
“When one or two diplomats are asked to leave this or that country, with apologies being whispered in our ears, we know for certain that this is the result of colossal pressure and colossal blackmail, which is Washington’s chief instrument on the international scene.”
In fact, these actions are not even “democratic.” They are the result of the elites ignoring the public. He reported that Die Welt in Germany conducted a poll, which found that more than 80% of respondents were against more Russia sanctions.
Tough comments were also made today by Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov to Sputnik, but he stated that Russia was not abandoning the strategic stability talks with Washington. He expressed the view that “the current situation will not persist.” He said “We need this dialogue,” explaining, “the Presidents of our countries said ... it in a telephone conversation a few days ago, we are not giving up this dialogue, we will hold it.” And Ryabkov expressed “hope” for a “healthy beginning” that will “sooner or later prevail.”
Ryabkov excoriated Prime Minister Theresa May for putting forward more than 20 theories allegedly provided by Moscow concerning the Skripal poisoning. U.K. officials, he said, “continue to talk nonsense.” He advised them to
“stop ceaselessly surfing the Internet, reading newspapers, watching TV and reading any statement by any person with a Russian passport to represent it as Moscow’s official theory.”
