Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said he hopes the United States will avoid actions that could lead to a further escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, stressing that Donald Trump has long advocated direct dialogue with Moscow.

In the interview with Corriere della Sera, later published by Russia’s TASS news agency, Lavrov said Trump has sought “to fully understand the Russian position on Ukraine” and has “shown commitment to finding a viable peaceful solution.” “We are counting on logic and on the fact that this attitude will prevail in Washington and that actions that could lead to an escalation of the conflict will be avoided,”
He said.

TASS reported that the Italian newspaper refused to publish the interview.

According to the Russian agency, Lavrov said that Trump has acknowledged that one of the factors behind Russia’s actions was the expansion of NATO and the development of the alliance’s infrastructure closer to the Russian border. “In essence, this is something that President Vladimir Putin and Russia have been warning about for 20 years,” he said.

Recall that Trump and Putin held talks in Alaska in August, and Lavrov spoke by phone with his US counterpart Marko Rubio on October 20 about a possible new summit, following a phone call between the two leaders. Trump subsequently said he had cancelled the meeting.

Lavrov accused European governments of undermining peace efforts. Europe, he said, “sabotages all peace efforts and rejects direct contacts with Moscow. They are imposing new sanctions that come back as a boomerang and further hurt their economies. They are openly preparing for a new great European war against Russia.”

He noted that Russia will be ready to resume contacts with Europe “when this Russian hysteria passes.”

European leaders have accused Russia of waging a “hybrid war“ against EU countries. EU countries that support Ukraine recently agreed to a 19th package of sanctions and are discussing additional financial support for Kiev, either through lending or the use of frozen Russian assets.