MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Lavrov spoke to the press following the Potsdam Meetings, an international seminar organized by the Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund in Moscow. According to Lavrov, the seminar addressed the issues of relations between Russia and Germany, Russia and Europe and the prospects to change the existing state of affairs.
"I hope that the high intellectual potential of the Potsdam Meetings will enable the delivery of the necessary signals to the respective destinations," Lavrov said, adding that Moscow was open for changes in this regard.
1 November 2016, 07:06 GMT
In 2014, Russia’s relations with the West deteriorated significantly as the crisis in Ukraine escalated. The United States and its allies, accusing Moscow of fueling tensions in Ukraine, introduced a series of sanctions against Russia as a punitive measure.
In response, Moscow imposed a year-long food embargo on the countries that had sanctioned it, which was later prolonged as the sanctions were extended.
