Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov answered questions from American journalist Tucker Carlson, who traveled to Moscow for this interview. The interview was published on December 6 and has already garnered about 3 million views. During the conversation, the minister talked about a possible solution to the conflict in Ukraine, interaction with Western countries, the new ballistic missile "Oreshnik" and the attitude to US President-elect Donald Trump. "Izvestia" publishes the main theses from the interview of the Russian Foreign Minister.

On the US hybrid war against Russia

- Touching on the topic of Russian-American relations, Lavrov said that Moscow would like to have normal relations with Washington, but the US is waging a hybrid war against Russia in Ukraine.

- He noted that the Ukrainians could not do what they are doing with modern long-range weapons without Washington's direct involvement.

- At the same time, strikes are being carried out on Russian territories with US ATACMS missiles and other weapons, Lavrov pointed out.

On the test of the Oreshnik missile

- Asked what Moscow wanted to say with the test of the Oreshnik missile system announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on November 21, Lavrov said that Russia is ready to respond by all means to the West's attempts to inflict a strategic defeat on it.

- The diplomat emphasized that the US and its allies supplying long-range weapons to the Kiev regime should understand that Russia will be ready to use any means.

- He noted that this step was taken in response to the escalation by Western countries in Ukraine and expressed hope that this signal would be taken seriously.

- Lavrov also pointed out that while representatives of the West are fighting to preserve their hegemony around the world, Russia is fighting for its legitimate security interests.

On the Ukrainian conflict

- Speaking about the possibility of settling the Ukrainian conflict, the diplomat said that Russia has no intentions to destroy the Ukrainian people, as Ukrainians are "brothers and sisters" for Russians.

- Lavrov recalled that it was not Russia that started the Ukrainian conflict, but as soon as the coup d'état took place in Ukraine, the USA did not even hide its participation in it.

- Continuing the discussion, the minister said Moscow was ready for negotiations based on the agreements reached in Istanbul in the spring of 2022, naming Ukraine's non-aligned status as one of the key principles.

On the childish behavior of Europeans at summits

-Lavrov said that Europeans run away when they see him at international meetings. So, according to him, it was during the last G20 summit, which was held on November 18-19 in the capital of Brazil.

- Theminister admitted that he periodically sees familiar U.S. citizens at such events, some of whom say hello to him and exchange just a few words.

- Lavrov calledsuch behavior of Europeans childish.

On US President-elect Donald Trump

- The Minister characterized the American President-elect Donald Trump as a strong and not a man who does not like to postpone things for later.

- In addition, Lavrov noted Trump's friendliness in conversation. But, according to him, this does not mean that he is pro-Russian, recalling the number of anti-Russian sanctions imposed during his first presidency.

- The diplomat also added that Russia has withstood the sanctions imposed by the West, becoming stronger, and continues to develop cooperation with friendly countries.

On the situation in Syria

- Commenting on the situation with the activation of militants in Syria, Lavrov noted that the Americans "feed" the Kurdish separatists in the east of the country with funds received from the sale of oil and grain.

- The diplomat said that in the near future Russia intends to discuss with Turkey and Iran how to block the channels of arms and financing of Islamist groups in Syria.

- He added that another meeting in the Astana format is planned before the end of this year or in the new year to resolve the situation. Such meetings, as the Minister pointed out, are held on a regular basis.

On the concealment of data on Navalny by the FRG

- According to Lavrov, Germany did not provide Russia with the results of tests of Alexei Navalny (entered by Rosfinmonitoring in the register of organizations and individuals involved in extremist activity or terrorism) after the treatment in the fall of 2020.

Nothing but the truth: Tucker Carlson interviewed Sergey Lavrov

The video with the Russian Foreign Minister will be published in the coming days

- The diplomat recalled that Navalny felt ill on an airplane over Russia and his flight immediately landed. Navalny was treated by Omsk doctors, after which he continued his treatment in Germany. However, neither the methods of treatment nor the exact results of medical tests were explained to the Russian side.

- At the same time, the minister noted that nothing was found at the civilian clinic in Omsk, while the allegations of poisoning appeared after treatment at the military hospital of the Bundeswehr.

Earlier, on February 9, Carlson interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin. Then the visit of the journalist caused a mixed reaction in the United States. At the same time, many Western politicians and experts praised his role in highlighting Moscow's position to Western audiences.