Russian foreign minister says China next target of West

MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Minister Segey Lavrov said on Friday that the West "is not hiding" that China is the "next target" after Russia, as well as any country that "dares to act independently."

"They do not hide that when Russia, as they put it, is 'defeated,' China will be the next target as well as any country that dares to act independently and decides to be guided by its national interests, and not by what the US and the other Western countries determine," Lavrov said, speaking at a news conference in Ankara after meeting his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Lavrov added that statements by Western countries, saying it is not the right time to declare a cease-fire and their arms supplies to Kyiv, show they do not want to resolve Ukraine's conflict.

He also warned that if the Russian part of the Black Sea Grain Initiative is not implemented, then Moscow may reconsider its stance and work on grain exports through Türkiye and Qatar.

"We were forced to go for a slight escalation and extend the grain only for 60 days. If there is no further progress, we will rethink," he said.

Lavrov said that the grain deal is even more in doubt taking into account existence of "corridors of solidarity," through which Ukraine exports its products to Europe by land routes.

Last July, Türkiye, the UN, Russia and Ukraine signed a deal in Istanbul to resume grain exports from three Ukrainian Black Sea ports which were paused after the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine war in February 2022. The deal was extended for 120 days in November and for another 60 days in March.