MOSCOW, February 19 /TASS/. The United States has demonstrated to the European Union who is the boss by its demands regarding the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov says in an interview with the RBC TV Channel.

"The meeting of NATO defense ministers ended. No retreats from the demand to pay 2% of GDP for defense needs, that is, to buy the US weapons. There is also no withdrawal from the demand on Europe in respect of the Nord Stream 2 to stop participating in some affairs undermining the European security," Lavrov said. "The point is about the one being the adult in the room. Europe also wants to be the master in its house but it is taken down a peg. The situation with the Nord Stream 2 is absolutely straightforward", the Minister added.

Russia maintains normal bilateral dialogue with European Union nations outside the frames of the bloc discipline, Lavrov said.

"Beyond the frames of this discipline, this ‘bloc solidarity,’ we have a normal conversation," he said. "Many countries maintain relations with Russia. [EU foreign policy chief Josep] Borrell’s visit was the first one at such a level in the past three years. Over this time, a couple of dozens of foreign ministers from the European Union member nations have visited Russia. We maintain a good dialogue."

However, he noted, foreign top diplomats come to Russia with "homework" to be done. "They have to read out a couple of pages of what was agreed with the Brussels’ bosses," he noted. "Not a step aside. For instance, Alexey Navalny, or the Skripals, as it was some time ago, human rights. Now, our scientist Yuri Dmitriyev from Karelia."

He stressed that Western partners categorically refuse to accept the evidence of Dmitriyev’s, who was sentenced on child molestation charges, guilt. "They read out, I cite counter argument, explain what we see in this or that situation and ask why we cannot receive more information about Navalny or the Skripals. In response, the simply read out the same page again," he added.

The main goal of the EU sanctions against Russia is not the worsening of relations but the desire of European states to boost their self-esteem, Lavrov continued.

"It is always possible to designate something as an excuse in order to shift the relations in the direction you need. Here it’s not as if they want to worsen relations. I don’t think this is their main goal. They want to bolster their self-esteem. Now they begin to act in the same way as the US, including displaying the mentality of the exceptional cohort of states," the top diplomat said.

He pointed out that the hiding of facts from the Russian side which could have supported accusations directed at Moscow began long before the Ukrainian crisis. "One can recall the year 2007 - the poisoning of Alexander Litvinenko at a hospital. There was some kind of a coroner’s inquest. Then this process was declared ‘public’ which by George Orwell’s logic in fact in Great Britain means a ‘secret process’ with no investigative results of security services allowed to be made available within its framework," he explained. "You know, these are systemic problems," he continued.

The Russian top diplomat added that currently not even "sporadic contacts" on international issues remain of the relations with the EU and all interaction occurs within the framework of multilateral formats.