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Russia will not turn into "besieged fortress" due to sanctions — Lavrov

The foreign minister specified that if the West strengthened sanctions, Russia would find an answer but he stressed that Moscow was counting on the prudence of its Western partners

© Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, December 27. /TASS/. The Russian leadership is not considering the possibility of turning the country into a "besieged fortress" because of the Western sanctions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an exclusive interview for the Solovyov Live YouTube channel on Monday.

"Will we become a "besieged fortress"? I am sure that this is not part of the plans of the Russian leadership. Absolutely," the minister said.

"The President [of Russia Vladimir Putin] constantly voices, in particular in his last speeches, at his big press conference, his commitment to expanding opportunities for the free development of society, for democratic principles," he added.

Lavrov said that if the West strengthened sanctions, Russia would find an answer but he stressed that Moscow was counting on the prudence of its Western partners.

"I am convinced that even if this scenario, which is fantastic for me, comes true, we will find an answer," the minister said.

Lavrov noted that there are politicians in the West who consider it useless to impose sanctions on Russia. Nevertheless he stressed that Russia will not change its beliefs due to the discontent of its Western colleagues.

"In case someone has not yet understood it yet - every day Russia proves its ability to solve any problems, and it will not change its way of life, its beliefs, just because the West got angry and closed some technologies there," he said.

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