Excerpt : FM Sergey Lavrov’s interview for Looking Back television

https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/2087463/

Question: Speaking of the art of Russian diplomacy, what does is look like today? There must be some art to it.

Sergey Lavrov: There is, indeed. It is set out in doctrinal documents such as Russia’s Foreign Policy Concept which prioritises defending our national interests while respecting the interests of other countries that are willing to engage on an equal and mutually respectful basis, and to seek a balance such interests which is something the West sorely lacks particularly now, as we observe the Trump administration openly declare that they have no use for the international law, and instead follow their own morality and gut feelings. Saying that they will be guided by them.

Diplomacy is about national interests, mutual respect, understanding, and willingness, as well as the ability to appreciate the legitimate positions of your dialogue partner or vis-à-vis and, by all means, pragmatism.

Just like any politics, diplomacy is the art of the possible.

Question: Everyone is curious to find out how the negotiating process works, since it takes place behind closed doors. How does the art of gaining an insight into the mind of your counterpart and figuring them out work? What should one expect from them? Let us in on some of your little secrets.

Sergey Lavrov: There is no universal rule to it. Every negotiation is unlike the other and largely – if not decisively – depends on personalities of the people at the negotiating table, their education level and whether they possess the qualities we particularly value in the Russian diplomatic service such as fluency in foreign languages, knowledge of history and the regions and countries you deal with and are discussing in a specific situation.

Such qualities are usually not considered essential for American negotiators. We had country studies at the university, where a diplomat received training through deep immersion in a country, its history, culture, and the region they would focus on as diplomats. Our diplomats are typically posted abroad for an average of five years which gives them enough time to settle in, to get up to speed, and to produce recommendations and ideas over a long period of time. In the United States, things work differently: assignments last two to three years, after which a person may be reassigned from Indonesia to Congo, then to Guatemala, and so on. This is their tradition, an attribute of their diplomatic service. We treat this with respect.

For talks to be productive, it is, without a doubt, important to be versant in the subject matter, especially when discussing deep-rooted issues that go back decades or even centuries.

In the Middle East, saying “Here’s the deal, take it before it’s too late” will never work.

Question: That’s a very interesting point. Do you think what’s happening in the world now happened before? Are we simply following a spiral in our development, as Karl Marx suggested, and run into such craziness from time to time, or are we dealing with something entirely new this time?

Sergey Lavrov: History unfolds in a spiral. Another well-known observation is that history tends to repeat itself as a farce. One can interpret the fact that history repeats itself in different ways. However, the situation at hand is quite serious and by no means a farce.

Despite certain outward elements of farce – which I think many recognise – the consequences of what our US colleagues are doing in conjunction with the Israelis are extremely grave and will backfire for a long time to come.

Overall, we are witnessing a stage in history which may be a spiral, but it is taking us back to a world where nothing existed – no international law, no Versailles system, no Yalta system – nothing. A world where might makes right. Yet, as you know from a famous line by a well-known film character, “God is not in strength, but in truth.” Look at what is happening. The United States has officially stated that it is not taking orders from anyone and is concerned only with its own wellbeing. It is prepared to defend that wellbeing by whatever it takes – coups, abductions, or even the killings of leaders of the countries that possess natural resources that are of interest to the United States. Our US colleagues do not hide the fact that oil is what they are after in Venezuela and Iran. They operate in line with their doctrine of dominance in global energy markets. Sanctions have been imposed on Lukoil and Rosneft, which are the first major sanctions imposed by the Trump administration. They are not legacy of the previous administration.

They have ruthlessly cut Europe off. Even back when the Nord Stream pipelines were being built, the Americans urged Europe not to use them. Now, Europe has been denied access to Nord Stream. Germany has been humiliated – everyone is aware of that. What’s the upshot?

Now the Hungarians and Slovaks are fighting with all they have to uphold their interests in maintaining inexpensive and accessible energy as a driver of their economies, but are told to buy at double the price, because Russia must be “punished.” This is not the proper way to approach international relations. It’s an attempt to go back to the colonial era. This is exactly what Europe is doing as it forces Hungary, Slovakia, and other “dissenters” into obeying orders coming from Brussels that are issued by the people who, unlike national governments, are not elected officials.

Europe, which ruled the world for 500 years during the eras of colonialism and slavery, is now trying to entrench neo-colonialism. It still wants to live at the expense of others and dictate terms to everyone. The hubris and contempt for others are – pardon me the expression – simply oozing from today’s European politicians when they start lecturing others.

The United States has welcomed and continues to welcome Russia’s marginalisation in European energy markets. Russia is being pushed out of Serbia as well. The Americans are doing it. Joe Biden started it, and Donald Trump is finishing it. This amounts to an open claim for energy dominance worldwide, across all regions.

Our US colleagues are telling us: let’s settle the situation in Ukraine – we were ready to do so back during the summit in Alaska, but they are not so sure about it now – suggesting that we make more concessions, and vast economic opportunities will open up to us after that. At the same time, what I have just described is effectively taking place. We are being forced out of all global energy markets. Eventually, we will be left with our own territory. The Americans will then come to us and tell us they want to be partners. However, if we are prepared to carry out mutually beneficial projects on our territory and provide Americans with whatever may interest them, while taking our own interests into account, they, too, must take our interests into consideration. So far, we have not seen them do so. Respect must extend beyond Russia’s natural wealth as well. This is unusual.

We are returning to a time when there were no frameworks governing international relations. It was an outright message: the interests of the United States take precedence over any international agreements.

Question: Will that go away with this generation, or is it a turning point?

Sergey Lavrov: I am neither an astrologer nor a fortune-teller. Much depends on the personal qualities of the people who come to power and on how much elected leaders are supported by their voters throughout their term.

Question: At some point, Russian diplomacy focused on Europe as a main partner, and then the focus shifted towards the United States. What about now?

Sergey Lavrov: Since the time of the Russian Empire, we knew that Russia had only two allies: its army and its navy. Now we also have the aerospace forces which we cannot ignore, and new unmanned aerial units, which fact means we have even more allies now.

The key takeaway from our thousand-year history is that God helps those who help themselves. This is critical. Of course, one must rely on allies and like-minded partners, support them, and appreciate the support they provide. At the same time, relations must also be maintained with those who have deceived us more than once but, in a biblical sense, with the understanding that they are not to be trusted.

The President of Russia has repeatedly made it clear that the weak get beaten. That sums it all up. We must be strong. Russia is a very strong country. It is strong in spirit, immensely rich in natural resources, and boasts great scientific potential. The key is to translate all of that into technologies at the highest level.

As the President said, whoever becomes the leader in artificial intelligence will be the leader of the world. We want our diplomacy to help create proper environment for achieving precisely the results outlined by Vladimir Putin.