Russia-Ukraine War: Lavrov urges U.S. to avoid raising tensions

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urges the U.S. to avoid escalating the Ukraine war accuses Europe of obstruction to a settlement.

Transcript

00:00Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says he hopes the United States avoids any action that could escalate the war in Ukraine.

00:09He says he trusts that common sense in Washington prevents steps that might push the conflict to a new level,

00:16while praising U.S. President Donald Trump for continuing to support dialogue with Moscow.

00:21Lavrov added that Trump recognized Russia's long-standing concerns about NATO expansion and its military presence near Russian borders,

00:31issues Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned about for years.

00:37He went on to accuse European governments of blocking U.S. efforts to reach a settlement,

00:42imposing sanctions that hurt their own economies and preparing for a wider confrontation with Russia.

00:48Lavrov said Moscow will only resume talks once, in his words, the irrational anti-Russian stance ends.