Lavrov wants 'honest' Russia-EU dialogue

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Wednesday for an honest dialogue between his country and the European Union, saying Russia is not to blame for a crisis in relations.

In an interview with Russian daily newspaper Kommersant, Lavrov said Russia will not make unilateral gestures of goodwill to the EU as countries in the bloc should understand that "dialogue is only possible when it's honest".

"It should be clear to our European colleagues that interaction is only possible on an honest and equal basis and with respect for each other's interests," he said. "We expect that practical approaches and common sense will eventually prevail in the Brussels institutions and EU capitals. We don't mind waiting for it to happen."

Lavrov said that EU bureaucrats and certain EU countries "seek to use any excuse, including the most absurd ones, to boost attempts to contain Russia".

The EU in October imposed sanctions on Russia, already a target of penalties over the years. Under the latest sanctions, a number of Russian officials have been blacklisted over the sudden illness of opposition figure Alexei Navalny in August.

Among those added to the list are the director of Russia's Federal Security Service, Alexander Bortnikov, and two senior officials in the Presidential Executive Office.

Brussels sees all of them as accomplices in the alleged attempt on Navalny's life with the use of chemical weapons, which the Kremlin has rejected repeatedly. He received treatment in Berlin.

"We Europeans remain committed to the fight against chemical weapons," French President Emmanuel Macron said at an EU summit.

The Russian mission to the EU countered that the reasoning behind the sanctions "borders on the absurd".

Lavrov said that the number of sanctions regimes has kept growing, though they were illegal from the standpoint of international law. "We appropriately respond to unfriendly actions but we also remain open to dialogue with the EU, which remains an important trade and economic partner for us," he said.

Lavrov said there are many fields in which the parties need to cooperate, including crisis management, healthcare, climate change, personal data protection and artificial intelligence.