Lavrov on Ukraine: Trump administration’s treatment of Russia mirrors Biden’s approach

The United States’ stance toward Russia over the war in Ukraine has not changed with the transition of administrations, according to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

Lavrov made the remarks on Wednesday during an interview with RT India, which noted that Indian oil imports from Russia fell sharply after the sanctions on major producers Rosneft and Lukoil.

The Russian official described the sanctions as “an unlawful and illegitimate decision” by the United States, adding that Ukraine was used as a pretext for the measures.

Lavrov said Russia values President Donald Trump’s initiation of dialogue with President Vladimir Putin, citing communications between Washington and Moscow and the involvement of senior aides.

“However, nothing is happening in real life,” the top diplomat said. “Aside from this regular dialogue, everything else follows the pattern initiated by President Biden.”

Lavrov noted that the sanctions imposed under Biden remain in effect, while the Trump administration had also introduced its own measures “in order to punish Russia’s economy.”

He said the aim was to force Lukoil and Rosneft to exit business, claiming that part of the “doctrinal documents” adopted by the U.S. declares that the superpower must dominate global energy markets.

Despite this, the minister confirmed that discussions about potential mutually beneficial, modern, technological, energy‑related, and other projects between Russia and the United States are ongoing.