SERGEY LAVROV

Russia on one side and Ukraine, the U.S. and its NATO allies on the other traded fresh accusations and threats. The West, fearing that Moscow could invade Ukraine, threatened the Kremlin with the toughest sanctions yet if it launches an attack. Blinken sought Thursday to pre-empt Russian claims that Ukraine was threatening Russian interests. “Ukraine is in no way posing a threat to Russia or seeking a confrontation that would justify a Russian military intervention,” the American secretary of state insisted. Robert Burns in Washington, Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen, Denmark, and Yuras Karmanau in Kyiv, Ukraine, contributed to this report.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has met face-to-face with his Russian counterpart to demand Russia pull back troops from the border with Ukraine.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that Moscow would seek Western guarantees that would preclude any further NATO expansion and the deployment of its weapons near Russia's borders.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is warning that the U.S.-led military organization must prepare for the worst as concern mounts that Russia could be preparing to invade Ukraine.

The Kremlin has rejected the U.S. claims of a Russian troop buildup near Ukraine as a ruse intended to cover up what it described as Ukrainian leadership’s aggressive intentions.

Russian officials are rejecting accusations that they endangered astronauts aboard the International Space Station by conducting a weapons test that created more than 1,500 pieces of space junk.

Thousands of migrants and refugees in Belarus are trying to enter the European Union through Poland.

Nicaragua’s President Daniel Ortega holds a commanding lead in preliminary results from Sunday’s election against a field of little known challengers.

Russia Afghanistan Members of the political delegation from the Afghan Taliban's movement attend talks involving Afghan representatives in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct. 20, 2021. Russia invited the Taliban and other Afghan parties for talks voicing hope they will help encourage discussions and tackle Afghanistan's challenges. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool) (Alexander Zemlianichenko)MOSCOW — (AP) — Russia hosted talks on Afghanistan on Wednesday involving senior representatives of the Taliban and other factions, a round of diplomacy that underlines Moscow's clout. In recent years, Moscow has made a strong comeback as an influential power broker in international talks on Afghanistan, hosting the Taliban representatives and members of other factions for bilateral and multilateral meetings. Another sweeping military exercise in Tajikistan involving 5,000 troops, more than 700 military vehicles and combat jets has started this week.

Russia has hosted talks on Afghanistan involving senior representatives of the Taliban and neighboring countries.

NATO withdrew the accreditation of eight Russian officials, saying it believes they have been secretly working for Russian Intelligence.

NATO withdrew the accreditation of eight Russian officials, saying it believes they have been secretly working for Russian Intelligence.

Russia World Congress of Russian Compatriots In this photo provided by the Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks to the media on the side of the 7th World Congress of Russian Compatriots Living Abroad in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Oct. 15, 2021. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP) (Uncredited)MOSCOW — (AP) — Russia’s foreign minister said Monday that the country is suspending its mission to NATO. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the move is in response to last week’s expulsion by NATO of eight members of Russia’s mission to the military alliance. The Russian mission isn’t based at NATO’s headquarters, but in a leafy neighborhood in the south of the Belgian capital, Brussels. Russia and NATO also have been at odds over Moscow's nuclear missile development, aerial intrusions into NATO airspace and the buzzing of allied ships by fighter planes.

Russia says it's suspending its mission at NATO and ordering the closure of the alliance’s office in Moscow in retaliation to NATO’s expulsion of Russian diplomats.

China’s U.N. ambassador says he hopes President Joe Biden will translate his statement that the United States has no intention of starting a “new Cold War” with China into actions

Nuclear disarmament might seem like a must-discuss topic in world leaders' annual speeches at the U.N. General Assembly, which has espoused that cause since its founding.

UN General Assembly Russia Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov is seen on a video screen as he speaks to reporters during a news conference during 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Saturday, Sept. 25, 2021 at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) (Mary Altaffer)UNITED NATIONS — (AP) — The United States, China, Russia and Pakistan are working together to ensure that Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers keep their promises, especially to form a genuinely representative government and prevent extremism from spreading, Russia’s foreign minister said Saturday. Sergey Lavrov said representatives from Russia, China and Pakistan had traveled to the Qatari capital of Doha and then to Afghanistan’s capital Kabul to engage with both the Taliban and representatives of “secular authorities” — former president Hamid Karzai and Abdullah Abdullah, who headed the ousted government’s negotiating council with the Taliban. “What’s most important ... is to ensure that the promises that they have proclaimed publicly to be kept,” Lavrov said. France has announced it is reducing its force fighting extremists in Mali and the region, Lavrov said.

Russia's foreign minister says the United States, China, Russia and Pakistan are working together to ensure that Afghanistan’s new Taliban rulers keep their promises, especially to form a genuinely representative government and prevent the spread of extremist groups.

Catch the rise of the Harvest Moon on Sept. 20. This particular full moon is given the nickname when it's the closest to the changing season. Let's find out why.

Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS/GettyRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has reportedly bankrolled his mistress’s travel abroad with him on official diplomatic trips to almost two dozen countries around the world, according to a new bombshell report from Russian opposition activist Alexei Navalny’s team. The report, entitled “Yachts, bribes and a mistress. What Minister Lavrov is hiding,” details a plethora of luxury digs and yachts enjoyed by the couple, including a yacht owned by the notoriou

Austria Russia In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Austria's Chancellor Sebastian Kurz listens to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their talks in Vienna, Austria, Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP) (Uncredited)BERLIN — (AP) — Austria’s conservative People’s Party, or OVP, voted overwhelmingly Saturday to reelect Chancellor Sebastian Kurz as its leader at a party gathering. Kurz, 35, received the backing of 533 of 536 delegates, or 99.4%. He has led the party since 2017, and became the country’s youngest-ever chancellor later that year. Addressing colleagues before the vote in St. Polten, Kurz spoke about a range of topics and policy priorities.

Austria’s conservative People’s Party has voted overwhelmingly to reelect Chancellor Sebastian Kurz as its leader at a party gathering.

(AP Photo/Matthias Schrader) (Matthias Schrader)MEXICO CITY — Mexico has accepted its first group of refugees from Afghanistan. Ebrard told the group, “Welcome to your home.”The refugees belong to a group involved in the field of robotics. ___ROME — Italy will offer Afghan citizens evacuated to Italy from their homeland the opportunity to be vaccinated against COVID-19. ___ROME — Italy’s foreign minister is warning allies against concentrating on blaming the U.S. administration for the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan. Defense Minister Lorenzo Guerini told lawmakers that so far 2,659 Afghan citizens, about a third of them children, have been evacuated by Italy.

Michel says that “several leaders expressed concerns about the timing of August 31,” during Tuesday’s G-7 summit. Michel says the EU remains concerned about European citizens and Afghan people who worked with them being able to safely reach Kabul airport. ___ROME — Italy’s foreign minister is warning allies against concentrating on blaming the U.S. administration for the chaotic evacuation from Afghanistan. ___COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Norwegian Foreign Minister Ine Eriksen Soereide says the evacuation deadline in Afghanistan should be extended beyond Aug. 31. In neighboring Sweden, Foreign Minister Ann Linde said that she too could not guarantee that they can help all those who want to get out.

The Taliban was added to the Russian list of terrorist organizations in 2003, and Moscow has not yet moved to remove the group from the list. The Soviet Union fought a 10-year war in Afghanistan that ended with its troops withdrawing in 1989. “We have maintained contacts with the Taliban for the last seven years, discussing many issues,” Kremlin envoy on Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov said earlier this week. Moscow also has hailed the Taliban's pledge to combat drug trafficking and stem the flow of drugs from Afghanistan via Central Asia. “Who would make such gifts to terrorists after fighting them for 20 years?” said Klintsevich, a veteran of the Soviet war in Afghanistan.

When the Taliban swept over Afghanistan, Russia was ready for the rapid developments after working methodically for years to lay the groundwork for relations with the group that it still officially considers a terrorist organization.

China says it's willing to hold talks with the U.S. to promote a “soft landing” in Afghanistan, while heavily criticizing Washington and again demanding that the Biden administration halt its attacks on China.

A Taliban surge has put the insurgents in control of key border posts, opened up fresh sources of revenue and rattled many of Afghanistan's neighbors.

Russia India Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reacts during a joint news conference with Indian Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar following their talks in Moscow, Russia, Friday, July 9, 2021. The warning comes as the U.S. military said last week that 90% of the withdrawal of U.S. troops and equipment from Afghanistan is complete. “I would emphasize that the redeployment of the American permanent military presence to the countries neighboring Afghanistan is unacceptable,” Ryabkov said. “I don’t think that the emergence of new American military facilities in Central Asia would promote security in the region,” Lavrov said. Last week, a senior Taliban delegation visited Moscow to offer assurances that the insurgents’ advances in Afghanistan do not threaten Russia or its allies in Central Asia.

Russia has strongly warned the United States against deploying its troops in the former Soviet Central Asian nations following their withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Russia has strongly warned the United States against deploying its troops in the former Soviet Central Asian nations following their withdrawal from Afghanistan, a senior diplomat said in remarks published on Tuesday. Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said that Moscow conveyed the message to Washington during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s summit with U.S. President Joe Biden in Geneva last month. The warning comes as the U.S. military said last week that 90% of the withdrawal of U.S. troops and equipment from Afghanistan is complete.

Russia US Climate Change Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, left, welcomes U.S. climate envoy John Kerry for the talks during their meeting in Moscow, Russia, Monday, July 12, 2021. Kerry met Lavrov as part of his four-day visit to Moscow as tensions continue to complicate the two countries' bilateral relations. Kerry is the highest-ranking official from President Joe Biden's administration to visit Russia so far. Lavrov said that Russia “attaches great importance" to the issues of climate change and will continue to cooperate with other nations on these issues. 4 because of its dependence on coal for power generation, is an outsize contributor to climate change relative to the size of its economy and population.

U.S. climate envoy John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have expressed hope that climate change talks could act as a springboard to help reduce escalating tensions between the two rival nations.

Islamic State militants are “actively acquiring territory” in northern Afghanistan as U.S. and NATO forces withdraw, Russia’s top diplomat complained.

MOSCOW — (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday said his foreign minister and his defense minister will head the candidates’ list for the dominant United Russia party in September’s parliamentary election. By placing Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on the list, Putin aims to increase voter enthusiasm for the party whose support has been waning. Both Shoigu and Lavrov have substantial popularity for their firm positions on the military and and challenges to the West. Being on the party list does not oblige them to take parliament seats if elected. Although United Russia dominates the country’s politics and is Putin’s power base, its support is dipping.

Russian President Vladimir Putin says his foreign minister and his defense minister will head the candidates' list for the dominant United Russia party in September's parliamentary election.

The European Union's top diplomat is warning that the bloc's testy relations with Russia will probably get worse and that EU member countries must not let Moscow divide them.

Geneva can breathe a sigh of relief after hosting a U.S.-Russia summit.

President Joe Biden and Russia’s Vladimir Putin have exchanged cordial words and plotted out modest next steps on arms control and diplomacy.

I had the rare opportunity to watch Vladimir Putin in action during my four-year stint serving as a senior communications aide to former Secretary of State John Kerry.Why it matters: From his timing to his baiting techniques and his postgame spin, Russia's president commands an array of tactics aimed at putting U.S. leaders on the defensive and in response mode — and has decades of experience fine-tuning them.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subsc

(Maxim Shemetov, Pool via AP) (Maxim Shemetov)UNITED NATIONS — (AP) — The U.N. Security Council gave its unanimous backing to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a second term on Tuesday, assuring his election as the next U.N. chief by the General Assembly, most likely on June 18. Ambassador Sven Jurgenson, the current council president, after reading the communique to the media. Guterres, whose five-year term ends Dec. 31, was the only applicant nominated by a U.N. member state, his home country Portugal. He followed the 2015 process, holding a lengthy open question and answer session with U.N. diplomats in the General Assembly last month and then meeting privately with Security Council members. He said, “It looks like the Security Council has the opinion that, traditionally, only applicants supported by a country can become a candidate,” so the only joint letter was sent on behalf of Guterres.

The U.N. Security Council has given unanimous backing to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for a second term, assuring his election as the next U.N. chief by the General Assembly, most likely on June 18.

Issues in the meeting are expected to include the ransomware attack on Colonial Pipeline and U.S. sanctions over the Kremlin's treatment of Alexei Navalny.

The discussion between Blinken and Lavrov, the highest-level in-person talks between Washington and Moscow under the Biden administration.

The Biden administration is leading a campaign against Russian attempts to assert authority over Arctic shipping lanes and reintroduce a military dimension to discussions over international activity in the area.

The Biden administration is leading a campaign against Russian attempts to assert authority over Arctic shipping and reintroduce a military dimension to discussions over international activity in the area. As Russia assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Arctic Council on Thursday, the U.S. rallied other members to oppose Moscow’s plans to set maritime rules in the Northern Sea Route, which runs from Norway to Alaska, and its desire to resume high-level military talks within the eight-nation bloc. The effort reflects growing concerns in Washington and among some NATO allies about a surge in Russian military and commercial activity in the region that is rapidly opening up due to the effects of climate change.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov huddled on the sidelines of Arctic Council meetings in Reykjavik, Iceland.

(Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP) (Saul Loeb)REYKJAVIK, Iceland — (AP) — Top diplomats from the United States and Russia sparred politely in Iceland during their first face-to-face encounter, which came as ties between the nations have deteriorated sharply in recent months. “We seek a predictable, stable relationship with Russia," Blinken told Lavrov, echoing comments made by President Joe Biden, who has proposed a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin next month. The meeting took place just as the Biden administration notified Congress of new sanctions on Russia over a controversial European pipeline. He also raised “deep concerns” about Russia’s military buildup on the Ukraine border and its actions against the Voice of America and Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the department said. In his comments Monday, Lavrov noted the grievances about Russia's military activities in the Arctic.

Top diplomats from the United States and Russia have sparred firmly but politely in Iceland in their first face-to-face encounter.

(Saul Loeb/Pool Photo via AP) (Saul Loeb)REYKJAVIK, Iceland — (AP) — Top diplomats from the United States and Russia sparred politely in Iceland on Wednesday in their first face-to-face encounter, which came as ties between the nations have deteriorated sharply in recent months. “We seek a predictable, stable relationship with Russia," Blinken told Lavrov, echoing comments made by President Joe Biden, who has proposed a summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin next month. The meeting took place just as the Biden administration notified Congress of new sanctions on Russia over a controversial European pipeline. The meeting also followed a spate of tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions as U.S.-Russian relations threaten a return to Cold War lows. In his comments Monday, Lavrov noted the grievances about Russia's military activities in the Arctic.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken tells his Russian counterpart the U.S. seeks a “predictable” relationship with Moscow.

Blinken is touting the Biden administration's abrupt shift in its predecessor's climate policies as he visits Iceland for talks with senior officials from the world's Arctic nations. The meeting is set to take place just as the Biden administration plans to announce new sanctions on Russia over a controversial European pipeline. "It would be our preference to have a more stable and more predictable relationship with Russia,” Blinken said Tuesday. Perhaps anticipating Blinken's position and the expected sanctions announcement, Lavrov had offered a prebuttal at a news conference Monday in Moscow. In his comments Monday, Lavrov noted the grievances about Russia's military activities in the Arctic.

Top diplomats from the United States and Russia are set to square off in Iceland for their first face-to-face encounter.

Iceland US Blinken US Secretary of State Antony Blinken pauses during a joint press conference following meetings with the Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson, at the Harpa Concert Hall in Reykjavik, Iceland, Tuesday, May 18, 2021. Blinken is touting the Biden administration's abrupt shift in its predecessor's climate policies as he visits Iceland for talks with senior officials from the world's Arctic nations. The nuclear powers are at odds on myriad issues including Ukraine, the Arctic, Russia's treatment of opposition figure Alexey Navalny and accusations of cybermalfeasance, including claims that Russia-based hackers were responsible for a ransomware attack on a key U.S. pipeline. "It would be our preference to have a more stable and more predictable relationship with Russia,” Blinken said on Tuesday. In his comments Monday, Lavrov noted the grievances about Russia's military activities in the Arctic.

Once a desolate home mostly to polar bears, Russia’s northernmost military outpost is bristling with missiles and radar.

“In all of these engagements we have made clear that we are prepared to lend our support and good offices to the parties should they seek a cease-fire," Blinken said. He said he welcomed efforts by the U.N. — where the United States has so far blocked a proposed Security Council statement on the fighting — and other nations working for a cease-fire. In Israel, Hady Amr, a deputy assistant dispatched by Blinken to try to de-escalate the crisis, met with officials. At the virtual meeting of the Security Council, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the U.N. was actively engaging all parties for an immediate cease-fire. Eight foreign ministers spoke at the Security Council session, reflecting the seriousness of the conflict, with almost all urging an end to the fighting.

Denmark US Blinken U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, center, waves after disembarking from his airplane upon arrival at Copenhagen Airport in Copenhagen, Denmark, Sunday, May 16, 2021, on his first stop on a five-day European tour. In Denmark, Blinken met with Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and was later to see Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod and Denmark’s Queen Margrethe. Former President Donald Trump also created a stir when he proposed purchasing Greenland from Denmark, an offer roundly rejected by both. Trump then canceled a scheduled state visit to Denmark in 2019, creating more ill feelings. A senior U.S. official said Blinken hoped to get beyond any lingering doubts on Greenland by highlighting “all of the things that we’re doing with Greenland as a part of the Kingdom of Denmark.”

Confronting multiple unrelated international crises, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is aiming to revive strained ties with Denmark over climate change, Arctic policy and Russia.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is headed to Europe and North Atlantic islands to put the Biden administration's stamp on climate change policy in the Arctic and warn Russia against interference in the United States, Ukraine and elsewhere.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has told his Russian counterpart that the Biden administration won't waver in responding to aggression from Moscow in the United States or elsewhere.

Under Kremlin orders, the U.S. Embassy has stopped employing Russians, forcing the embassy to cut its consular staff by 75% and limit many of its usual services.

(AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, Pool) (Efrem Lukatsky)UNITED NATIONS — (AP) — The top diplomats from the United States, China and Russia urged strengthened global cooperation on Friday, recognizing the need to tackle growing global challenges and an unprecedented pandemic but sparring over their different worldviews and who’s to blame for threats to multilateralism. “Now, some question whether multilateral cooperation is still possible,” he told the council. “We will also work with any country on these issues -- including those with whom we have serious differences,” he said. China’s Wang and Russia’s Lavrov both stressed the importance of maintaining the United Nations as the center of multilateralism, which Blinken did not. Wang recalled the declaration adopted last September by world leaders commemorating the 75th anniversary of the United Nations that “multilateralism is not an option but a necessity."

The top diplomats from the United States, China and Russia are urging strengthened global cooperation, recognizing the need to tackle growing global challenges and an unprecedented pandemic.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Ukraine carrying a tough anti-graft message and strong U.S. backing for the country’s response to Russian aggression.

Russia’s foreign minister has sternly warned Ukrainian officials that Moscow would not accept their push to revise a peace deal for eastern Ukraine.

Russia’s top diplomat says his country's relations with the United States are even worse now than during Cold War times because of a lack of mutual respect.

Russia's top diplomat said Wednesday that relations with the United States are now even worse than during Cold War times because of a lack of mutual respect. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow stands ready to normalize ties with Washington but that the U.S. should stop posturing like a “sovereign” while rallying its allies against Russia and China. Lavrov said if the U.S. shuns a mutually respectful dialogue on the basis of a balance of interests, “we would live in conditions of a Cold War or worse."

Russia's top diplomat says Moscow will expel 10 U.S. diplomats in response to U.S. sanctions.

Iran’s supreme leader says the offers being made at the Vienna talks over his country’s tattered nuclear deal “are not worth looking at.”.

An Iranian nuclear negotiator says Tehran will begin enriching uranium up to 60% purity after an attack on its Natanz nuclear facility.

Russia’s top diplomat has described U.S. policy toward Moscow as “dumb” and warned that his country will retaliate if Washington imposes new sanctions.

Russia’s foreign minister says Moscow and Islamabad will boost ties in the fight against terrorism.

President Joe Biden has underscored U.S. support for Ukraine in his first call to that country's leader.

Russia’s top diplomat says the country’s relations with the United States and its allies have “hit the bottom” and no date has been set for sending the Russian ambassador back to Washington.

The Biden administration is mulling over Americas role in Syrias ongoing conflict as the U.S. tries to break away from Middle East wars. AdDealing with Syria's war will test the Biden administration's determination to focus on Asia and not the Middle East. Hence Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's Middle East tour this month. “If this is the security future of the Middle East, we’re all in trouble,” Jeffrey warns. It was the Syrian war that sparked that debate, when President Barack Obama first considered military strikes there, said Rep. Joaquin Castro, a Texas Democrat and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Taliban co-founder Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, center, arrives with other members of the Taliban delegation for an international peace conference in Moscow, Russia, Thursday, March 18, 2021. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool)MOSCOW – Russia hosted a peace conference for Afghanistan on Thursday, bringing together government representatives, the Taliban and international observers in a bid to help jump-start the country's stalled peace process. Moscow’s attempt at mediation comes as talks in Qatar between the Afghan government and the Taliban, still waging an insurgency, have stalled. Washington and Kabul have been pressing for a cease-fire while the Taliban say they will negotiate it as part of peace talks with the Afghan government. Zamir Kabulov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Afghanistan, told reporters that the Afghan participants in the talks showed willingness to negotiate peace.

(AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)GENEVA – The United States is prepared to return to the Iran nuclear deal if Tehran shows “strict compliance” with it, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday. It's a new sign of Washington’s ambition to revive the deal rejected by former President Donald Trump even as Tehran appears to be backing further away from it. Blinken said the United States is prepared to return to the accord “if Iran comes back into strict compliance” with it. Iran has slowly walked away from all the nuclear deal’s limitations on its stockpile of uranium and has begun enriching up 20%, a technical step away from weapons-grade levels. Ad“The United States is ready to engage Russia in strategic stability discussions on arms control and emerging security issues," Blinken said.

In this handout photo released by Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during his talks with Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto in St. Petersburg, Russia, Monday, Feb. 15, 2021. Lavrov blamed the European Union for a freeze in ties and argued that Moscow remains ready to mend relations. Just as EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell was visiting Russia earlier this month, Moscow announced the expulsion of diplomats from Germany, Poland and Sweden for attending protests in support of Navalny. Haavisto emphasized the EU's strong criticism of the Russian action, noting that the EU diplomats were fulfilling their duty while observing the protests. “Our relations with the EU don't matter when it comes to that,” Lavrov said.

In this photo released by the Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a meeting in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021. Russia is prepared to cut ties with the European Union if the EU imposes new sanctions amid a dispute over the treatment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the nation's top diplomat warned Friday. In response to a question on Moscow's willingness to rupture formal relations with the EU, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in televised remarks that Russia doesn't want to be isolated but is ready to retaliate if the EU action hurts its economy. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)MOSCOW – Russia is prepared for a split with the European Union if the EU imposes new crippling sanctions amid a dispute over the treatment of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, the nation's top diplomat warned Friday. In response to a question about Moscow's willingness to rupture links with the EU, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in televised remarks that Russia doesn't want to be isolated but must increase its self-sufficiency to face potential EU sanctions.

(Photo by Russian Foreign Ministry/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)LONDON — Russia has said it is ready to cut ties with the European Union, according to a fragment of an interview published on Russia's foreign ministry website Friday morning. When asked if Russia was heading for a break with the European Union, Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov said: "We proceed from the fact that we are ready (for that). Neither the Russian foreign affairs ministry nor the European Commission, the executive arm of the EU, was immediately available for comment when contacted by CNBC on Friday. In remarks to the press, Lavrov said that, "the EU is not a reliable partner, at least at the current stage." As a result, he has suggested that the EU should impose fresh sanction on Russia — a decision that needs to be approved by European governments.

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell visited Moscow on Friday to voice the EU's opposition to the arrest of Alexei Navalny, a fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. However, Borrell failed to rebuff his Russian counterpart's comments when standing next to him at the press conference. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had claimed the EU was an "unreliable partner." It seems that Russia is progressively disconnecting itself from Europe," Borrell said in a blog post two days after the press conference. There is no point in having a reset with Russia when Russia does not want it," she said.

EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov several days after Navalny was ordered to serve nearly three years in prison, a ruling that elicited international outrage. (Russian Foreign Ministry Press Service via AP)BRUSSELS – Germany, Poland and Sweden on Monday each declared a Russian diplomat in their country “persona non grata,” retaliating in kind to last week’s decision by Moscow to expel diplomats from the three European Union countries over the case of opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Russia had accused diplomats from Sweden, Poland and Germany of attending a demonstration in support of Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most high-profile political foe. “We have informed the Russian Ambassador that a person from the Russian embassy is asked to leave Sweden,” Sweden’s Foreign Minister Ann Linde wrote on Twitter. EU foreign ministers will debate the issue Feb. 22 in preparation for the bloc’s leaders to weigh Europe’s Russia strategy at a summit on March 25-26.

FILE - In this July 1, 2019 file photo, United Nations Special Envoy to Yemen Martin Griffiths speaks during his meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow, Russia. Iranian state TV said Sunday, Feb. 7,2021, that Griffiths arrived on his first visit to Iran for talks on the grinding war in the Arab worlds poorest country. Martin Griffiths was set to meet with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif and other officials during his two-day visit, his office said. The visit was planned long before Biden’s announcement, Griffiths’ spokeswoman Ismini Palla said. Saudi Arabia, along with the United Arab Emirates and other countries, launched a bombing campaign to expel the Houthis and restore the internationally recognized government months later.

The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Swedish and Polish diplomats in St. Petersburg and a German diplomat in Moscow of taking part in what it called “unlawful” rallies on Jan. 23. Tens of thousands of people across Russia took to the streets that day to protest Navalny's arrest. The diplomats were declared “persona non grata” and were required to leave Russia “shortly,” a ministry statement said. Navalny accused Artemenko’s family of exploiting the frail man for their own gain, alleging the case was fabricated and the evidence falsified. “The judge should burn in hell, and you’re selling your grandfather out,” Navalny said, as Artemenko’s grandson testified.

A Moscow court has ordered Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny to prison for more than 2 1/2 years for violating the terms of his probation while he was recuperating in Germany from nerve-agent poisoning. A Moscow court on Tuesday ordered Navalny to prison for two years and eight months, finding that he violated the terms of his probation while recuperating in Germany from a nerve-agent poisoning. The ruling immediately ignited new protests in Moscow and St. Petersburg that followed massive rallies over the past two weekends. The prison sentence for Navalny and Russia's tough police response to peaceful protests drew harsh criticism from the United States and European Union nations. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Moscow to immediately free Navalny and those who were detained during protests.

FILE - In this Friday, Jan. 17, 2020 file photo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov listens for a journalist's question during his annual roundup news conference in Moscow, Russia. Russia denied breaching the pact, which came into force in 2002, and the European Union has urged the U.S. to reconsider. The treaty helps deescalate the situation and avoid a wrong interpretation of the parties' military intentions, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement Tuesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov argued that the limits on flights over Kaliningrad were permissable under the treaty's terms. Lavrov asserted that the U.S. has imposed more sweeping restrictions on observation flights over Alaska.

MOSCOW Russia's foreign minister said Tuesday that Moscow has scaled down its military drills amid the coronavirus pandemic. Sergey Lavrov said that the Russian military also has decided not to conduct any war games near the country's borders with NATO member nations during the outbreak. Russia-West relations have sunk to post-Cold War lows after the 2014 Russian annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and Moscow's support for a separatist insurgency in eastern Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly voiced concern over the deployment of NATO forces in the Baltics, describing it as a threat to its security. Russia and the alliance also have blamed one another for conducting destabilizing military exercises near the borders.

The official said the Trump administration has committed to providing more than 15,000 ventilators to more than 60 countries. President Donald Trump was asked Tuesday if he sees ventilator shipments as a way to strengthen ties with other countries. I'm looking to save lives," Trump said. If we can save lives in another country, that's a great thing. So, I'm only looking to save lives.

Lavrov met earlier in the day with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who warned against Russian interference in U.S. elections. Lavrov repeated denials of Russian interference, calling them "baseless." "I was clear: It's unacceptable, and I made our expectations of Russia clear," Pompeo said of election interference. On the treaty, Russian President Vladimir Putin favors an extension of the pact, but Trump has said he wants China included if it is to be extended. Still, Russian and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday described the talks as a step toward peace and pledged to continue negotiations.

Lavrov met earlier in the day with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who warned against Russian interference in U.S. elections. Lavrov repeated denials of Russian interference, calling them "baseless." "I was clear: It's unacceptable, and I made our expectations of Russia clear," Pompeo said of election interference. On the treaty, Russian President Vladimir Putin favors an extension of the pact, but Trump has said he wants China included if it is to be extended. Still, Russian and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday described the talks as a step toward peace and pledged to continue negotiations.

Lavrov met earlier in the day with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who warned against Russian interference in U.S. elections. Lavrov repeated denials of Russian interference, calling them "baseless." "I was clear: It's unacceptable, and I made our expectations of Russia clear," Pompeo said of election interference. On the treaty, Russian President Vladimir Putin favors an extension of the pact, but Trump has said he wants China included if it is to be extended. Still, Russian and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday described the talks as a step toward peace and pledged to continue negotiations.

President Trump claims he discussed election meddling with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during their closed-door Oval Office meeting Tuesday, tweeting out a picture of him and the Russian official en route to a rally in Pennsylvania. Lavrov decried allegations of election meddling in 2016 as baseless during a press conference with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo earlier in the day. Discussed many items including Trade, Iran, North Korea, INF Treaty, Nuclear Arms Control, and Election Meddling. Pompeo emphasized that he made it clear to Lavrov the U.S. will not tolerate election meddling. "We think we've shared plenty of facts to show what happened in the 2016 election with our Russian counterparts.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov walks to address the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York City, New York, U.S., September 27, 2019. REUTERS/Lucas JacksonUNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Friday said the controversy over a phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has been blown out of proportion and dismissed a suggestion that Russia was behind it. (U.S. House Speaker) Nancy Pelosi said today that behind the incident - that is being blown out of proportion - around the telephone conversation between President Trump and President Zelenskiy, that it was Russia behind it all, he told reporters at the United Nations. In an interview on Friday, Pelosi suggested Russia may have been behind the matter. By the way, I think Russia has a hand in this, Pelosi told MSNBCs Morning Joe program on Friday.

Steffen Kugler /BPA via Getty Images(CNN) - In a previously undisclosed secret mission in 2017, the United States successfully extracted from Russia one of its highest-level covert sources inside the Russian government, multiple Trump administration officials with direct knowledge told CNN. Those concerns were described to CNN by five sources who served in the Trump administration, intelligence agencies and Congress. Afterward, intelligence officials again expressed concern that the president may have improperly discussed classified intelligence with Russia, according to an intelligence source with knowledge of the intelligence community's response to the Trump-Putin meeting. Senior US intelligence officials considered extracting at least one Russian asset at the time but did not do so, according to the former senior intelligence official. In the first months of his administration, Trump's handling of classified intelligence further concerned intelligence officials.

Ukraine diplomacy deal aims to ease tensions In Switzerland, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry reached a deal with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to take steps to de-escalate the tension in Ukraine. The U.S. has accused Russia of playing a role in escalating Ukraine's crisis, which Russia denies, and Washington is considering more sanctions. Craig Boswell reports.

Kerry and Lavrov meet in Geneva to ease Ukraine tensions Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, are meeting in emergency talks in Geneva, to try to quiet the tension inside Ukraine. Margaret Brennan reports.

Russia dismisses U.S. proposals in Ukraine talks Secretary of State John Kerry met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in London. Kerry issued a set of proposals, including for Russia to call off Crimea’s referendum on joining the Russian Federation, but Lavrov dismissed virtually every one. Margaret Brennan reports.

Kerry gives Russia options to avoid sanctions Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are meeting in London to discuss the crisis in Ukraine. Kerry is urging Lavrov to pullback in Crimea and negotiate, or Russia will face sanctions from the U.S. and Europe. CBS News State Department correspondent Margaret Brennan reports.