Russian foreign minister urges Europe to follow Trump’s stance on Russia

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday urged European politicians to adopt US President Donald Trump's approach toward Russia.

Speaking at a press conference in Moscow after meeting Mozambique's Foreign Minister Maria Lucas, Lavrov described recent statements by European leaders as "very alarming" and accused them of escalating tensions with Russia.

"The reasons behind such a strategy are impunity and the constant incitement of the Kyiv regime to continue provocations and terrorist acts against civilian infrastructure and peaceful citizens of the Russian Federation. These actions do not stop," he said.

Lavrov vowed that Russia would deliver "a fitting response" and achieve all its goals, despite what he called the EU's attempts to block them "through the hands of Kyiv."

"I hope the reasonable approach, including a willingness for dialogue, to listen and understand, demonstrated by the Trump administration after replacing the Biden administration, which had been in lockstep with reckless Europeans, will not go unnoticed in Europe," he added.

Last week, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said his country's troops would be ready "to kill Russian soldiers" if Moscow attacked NATO.

Separately, US Army Europe and Africa Commander Christopher Donahue mentioned the possibility of a preemptive strike on Kaliningrad, Russia's Baltic Sea exclave.

For her part, Lucas said Mozambique hopes that the next round of negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv, scheduled to take place in Istanbul in the coming days, will be successful for both Russia and Ukraine.

According to her, Mozambique "sees Russia as a highly resilient country that has withstood all sanctions and obstacles and is seeking to resolve the Ukrainian conflict through negotiations."

The Ukrainian conflict is currently affecting the entire world, including the African continent, particularly in terms of food security and supplies from Russia, she said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Tuesday that the talks will take place on Wednesday, while the Kremlin declared that Moscow hopes the negotiations will take place this week.