Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that a new "iron curtain" is coming down between Russia and the West after Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.

- As for the Iron Curtain, in essence, it is already coming down, Lavrov told reporters in Minsk, the capital of Belarus. The process has started, he added.

Lavrov also assessed that the relations between Russia and the European Union no longer exist.

– (The European Union) destroyed the relations that were built for decades between us and the EU, said the head of Russian diplomacy, adding that Moscow is still open to negotiations. I can only say that from now on we will not trust either the Americans or the EU. We will do everything necessary to not depend on them in critical sectors, Lavrov said.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the NATO summit in Madrid once again showed that the member states expect unconditional obedience, reports the Russian pro-regime agency TASS. Lavrov called the United States.

"I believe that it is obvious to everyone what they expect. They do not refrain from talking about it, and they said it once again yesterday at the NATO summit in Madrid. They expect unconditional obedience to their will from all countries, reflecting their selfish interests, primarily American interests," Lavrov said.

"Europe respects the views of the United States"

Lavrov stressed that modern Europe, represented by the EU, is losing its independence or the signs of independence it had. He adds that Europe obeys the attitudes imposed by the United States and points out that this also applies to the economic sanctions that have been imposed on Russia.

"If you compare the sanctions imposed by European countries on Russia and Belarus with the sanctions imposed by the United States, you can see that the United States is soft on itself and tries not to be too active in areas that will seriously harm its economy." he said.

The Russian Foreign Minister stressed that the United States is suffering the negative effects of the sanctions, but believes that Europe is suffering much more. Lavrov says that the US wants to weaken both Russia and the EU. "The EU is in competition with the US," he said.