The West will continue imposing sanctions against Russia, but the country is already used to it, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday in an interview with RT television channel.
"This sanctions pressure will continue. They [the West] are also now threatening the fifth wave of sanctions, there may be another wave after that, but we are used to it," he said.
According to the minister, the latest wave of sanctions is unprecedented. "As [Russian President Vladimir] Putin said, we are the champion in the number of sanctions that have been imposed on Russia. More than 5,000 individual measures. That's almost twice as many as the number of sanctions imposed against the DPRK and Iran," the head of the diplomatic corps noted.
"But it should be said that sanctions have always only strengthened us," he pointed out.
A historical lesson
According to Lavrov, Russia has learned a historic lesson, now the illusion that it can count on Western partners is completely shattered.
"I think that now the illusion that we can count on Western partners is completely destroyed. Now we can only count on ourselves and on those allies who will stay by our side. This is the most important conclusion for Russia in the context of geopolitics," said the head of the Russian foreign ministry.
He added that after 2014, the country gained experience that allowed it to count on its own strength. Lavrov stressed that the Russian Federation will endure sanctions pressure from the West, the economy is adapting to new conditions.
"Going back to the question of sanctions: we will survive. The measures that the president [Russian President Vladimir Putin] and the government are developing are gradually being announced, and this is just the beginning of adjusting our economic course in order to adapt to the new circumstances," the minister concluded.
Lavrov said that Russia is not abandoning cooperation with the West, but does not consider it a reliable partner.
"We are not closing the door to the West, they are closing the door to us," he said.
"When they come to their senses, when this door is opened again, we will look at the proposed cooperation projects, but we will look at them keeping one thing in mind: we will cooperate with them, keeping in mind perfectly that we cannot think that they are reliable, that they are reliable long-term allies," the Russian diplomat explained.
He added that Moscow is still ready for cooperation with those who will act on the basis of mutual respect, this applies to the countries of the East. "As always, we are open to cooperation with all those who are ready to do so on the basis of equality, on the basis of mutual respect, searching for a balance of interests. The countries in the East, to the east of Russia, are much more willing to act in accordance with these principles, and we will undoubtedly reciprocate them for our benefit, for the benefit of our colleagues," Lavrov summarized.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request for help from the leaders of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow's plans do not include occupying Ukrainian territories. After that, the United States, the EU, the United Kingdom, and a number of other states announced that they were imposing sanctions against Russian individuals and legal entities.
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Based on materials from TASS