“We’ve Been Through It All Before” — Lavrov Shrugs Off Trump’s Tariff Threats

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov dismissed Donald Trump’s latest tariff ultimatum, saying neither Russia nor its trading partners fear the economic pressure over the ongoing Ukraine conflict.

“Fifty days, twenty-four hours, a hundred days — we’ve seen it all before,” Lavrov said. “An unprecedented number of sanctions has already been imposed on us — and we’re managing. I have no doubt we’ll continue to cope.”

He added that Russia’s partners won’t bend to U.S. intimidation: “Knowing our partners, I don’t see them abandoning their independent course. They have their own commitments.”

More:  Russia proposed a third round of negotiations with Ukraine, but there was no reaction, Lavrov recalled.

Now Moscow is acting according to the plan approved by the president: it consists in ensuring Russia's interests in the sphere of security and the rights of Russian speakers in Ukraine.