Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, has issued a thinly veiled threat to Western leaders over what he claims are attempts to “punish” his country. The close ally of President Vladimir Putin was speaking as US and European officials met at the US Treasury Department on Monday to discuss various forms of economic pressure to exert on Russia, including new sanctions and tariffs on Russian oil purchases, according to one insider.
In a clip from a televised speech shared by former Ukrainian interior ministry adviser Alexander Geraschenko, Mr Lavrov said: “They messed with the wrong people, you know?” He added: “What amazes me is that the West still can’t draw any lessons from centuries of history in the context of its repeated attempts to restrain, subdue and punish Russia.”
The meeting, which lasted less than two hours, highlighted tariff actions, the need for a collective agreement on sanctions, and how to manage Russian sovereign assets that remain immobilised largely in Europe, among other issues.
Officials from the Treasury Department, including Secretary Scott Bessent, the White House, State Department, and US Trade Representative participated in Monday’s meetings.
The European team included staff focused on energy, sanctions, financial services, and trade.
The officials are set to meet again on Tuesday.
The meeting comes as Donald Trump has tried to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to sit down with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for direct talks aimed at ending the three-and-a-half-year war.
Mr Trump held a summit with the Russian leader last month in Alaska.
It also follows a Trump-imposed deadline, set in August, for the Kremlin to end its invasion — a deadline that has since passed.
On Sunday, Mr Trump said he expected to speak with Mr Putin in the next couple of days and acknowledged that the conflict had proved harder to resolve than he had anticipated.
Mr Trump told reporters: “I believe we’re going to get it settled. I have confidence we’re going to get it done.”
