MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/: Sober calls for coming to terms with Russia can be heard among European politicians, but Russia first of all needs to protect itself from relapses, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the educational marathon Znaniye (Knowledge) on Wednesday.
"True, sober calls can be heard. Many politicians publicly say that sanctions will be sanctions, but someday there will have to be negotiations. We live side by side, and everything that is happening now harms us very much. So far, this has not become a mainstream attitude and has not taken over the minds of the governments that are now in office in Europe. The very same EU, its heavyweights, according to our sources, are already beginning to think about some steps towards each other, but the so-called Young Europeans - the Baltic states, Poland and the Czech Republic - they are categorically against it," he said.
Lavrov remarked that at some stage the European partners would eventually opt for realism, but for now Russia should focus on how to secure itself and its relations with friendly countries from any whims of the West. "The whims that we see today and those we may see in the future. Given the events that we are witnessing in the political life of Europe, relapses cannot be ruled out. Nothing can be ruled out. First, let's be on the safe side. Then, when our partners come round, we'll see what offer they have for us," Lavrov concluded.
