Lavrov: Russia to Work With Any U.S. Admin Based on Principles of Mutual Respect

Russia has the right to expect that the United States will start reckoning with legitimate interests of other foreign players under the new administration, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Kazakhstan’s international news agency Kazinform, Sputnik reported.

“As [Russian] President Vladimir Putin has said: ‘We analyse it all routinely, we will accept any decision of the U.S. people and will work with any administration’. Of course, [cooperation should be based] only on the principles of honesty, mutual respect and non-interference in internal affairs. From this point of view, we have the right to expect that Washington will finally start taking into consideration the legitimate interests of other international players, including Russia, Kazakhstan and their integration associations,” Lavrov said.

Discussing the consequences of the U.S. election for the international relations would be premature, as the official results are yet to be announced, the Russian diplomat stressed.

“This is our committed position. We certainly closely follow the developments on the other side of the Atlantic, we are ready for any outcome. Forecasts are not quite an auspicious idea, especially at this stage. However, taking into consideration Joe Biden’s statements and remarks, one can assume that in case of his victory, the U.S. foreign policy will be more in line with the ideas promoted by [ex-U.S. President] Barack Obama,” Lavrov added.

The official results of the 3 November election are yet to be announced, but all major U.S. media outlets have already projected Joe Biden as the winner. Biden is projected to have secured 306 votes in the Electoral College, which takes him over the 270 votes needed for victory. However, U.S. President Donald Trump refuses to concede and has filed lawsuits over alleged vote fraud.