Russia’s top diplomat has described talks with the British foreign secretary, Liz Truss, as like a conversation of “the mute with the deaf”, as Truss personally warned Moscow of tough sanctions in the event of an attack on Ukraine.
During an icy press conference in Moscow that exposed the gulf between the two sides over Ukraine, Sergei Lavrov, a veteran of 18 years as foreign minister, said they had found little common ground and that the talks contained “nothing secret, no trust. Just slogans shouted from the tribunes.”
His counterpart Truss, who became foreign secretary in September, stuck closely to her prepared remarks while fielding questions from reporters, repeating warnings that a war would be “disastrous for the Russian and Ukrainian people and for European security”.
Lavrov said Truss had not varied her tone throughout their two-hour meeting, and had ignored his explanations while repeating statements and demands that Britain had made before.
“I’m honestly disappointed that our conversation turned out like the mute with the deaf. We appear to be listening but we’re not hearing anything. Our detailed explanations fell on unprepared ground,” Lavrov said.
“It’s like when they say that Russia is waiting for the ground to freeze so that tanks can easily enter Ukraine,” he added. “It seems that our British colleagues were on similar ground today, off of which bounced all the facts we presented them.”
Truss challenged Lavrov directly over his assertion that Russia is not threatening anyone with its buildup of troops and weaponry near Ukraine’s borders. “I can’t see any other reason for having 100,000 troops stationed on the border, apart from to threaten Ukraine. And if Russia is serious about diplomacy, they need to remove those troops and desist from the threats,” she said.
Away from the cameras, Truss allegedly confused the Russian regions of Voronezh and Rostov with Ukrainian territory when Lavrov asked her whether she recognised Russia’s sovereignty over them. She repeatedly told Lavrov that the UK would never recognise Moscow’s claim, until the British ambassador was forced to step in to correct her, the Russian business daily Kommersant reported.
Truss partly confirmed the account in an interview with Russian press: “It seemed to me that Minister Lavrov was talking about a part of Ukraine. I have clearly indicated that these regions [Rostov and Voronezh] are part of sovereign Russia,” she said, according to the British embassy in Moscow.
The episode follows a previous taunt by Russia last week when the foreign secretary was taken to task over her comment that “we are supplying and offering extra support to our Baltic allies across the Black Sea”. The Baltic Sea and the Black Sea – where Ukraine sits on the coast – are on opposite sides of Europe.
The remark led Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Maria Zakharova, to observe: “Ms Truss, your knowledge of history is nothing compared to your knowledge of geography. If anyone needs saving from anything, it’s the world, from the stupidity and ignorance of British politicians.” The Foreign Office said that Truss’s remarks had been misinterpreted.
The British sanctions package remained under government review on Thursday, somewhat undermining Truss’s threat as she led a British diplomatic effort to head off a potential Russian offensive in Ukraine.
France’s Emmanuel Macron travelled to Moscow this week on a similar mission to try to dissuade Vladimir Putin from launching an attack.
Truss’s trip is part of a blitz of British diplomacy in Russia. The defence secretary, Ben Wallace, is scheduled to travel to Moscow for consultations with the Russian defence minister, Sergei Shoigu, on Friday. Other European leaders and officials are also shuttling between Moscow and Kyiv. The German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is expected in Moscow next week.
Expectations for the meetings are limited as Russia has put forward maximalist demands to Nato to remove its troops from member states and to pledge never to accept Ukraine into the alliance. At the same time, Russia has begun joint military exercises in Belarus, continued moving troops on its territory closer to the Ukrainian border, and announced new naval drills in the Black Sea.
In his remarks, Lavrov said British-Russian relations had reached their “lowest point in years” and warned Russia would not be cowed by western threats. He also attacked some western countries for pulling non-essential diplomats from Ukraine, publicly suggesting that Russia could follow suit if it decides the west is preparing a provocation.
