Russia’s Lavrov slams US double standards on terrorism

Moscow has slammed Washington for applying double standards in fighting terrorism, accusing the United States of hurting its relationship with Russia through its policies.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Russia’s Channel 5 TV on Sunday that Washington’s double standards caused it not to listen to warnings by Moscow of a growing threat of the ISIL terrorist group.

According to Lavrov, the Western powers claimed that the militancy would die out after the ouster of the governments fighting the militants.

In addition, Lavrov said ties between Russia and the US need to reset amid the crisis in Ukraine.

Lavrov said Russia is not interested in a continued “sanctions war” with Western governments, as Moscow does not consider itself in isolation from the West.

The remarks came a day after Lavrov addressed the United Nations General Assembly, in which he condemned the US for resorting to military intervention anywhere in the world in order to secure its own interests.

The Russian minister told the 193-member UN assembly that US-led military actions have led to chaos and instability in different countries, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

Tensions between Russia and the West heightened after Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea joined the Russian Federation following a referendum in March.

Relations were strained further after Ukraine launched military operations in mid-April to silence pro-Russia protests in the country’s mainly Russian speaking regions in the east.

The United States and the European Union accuse Russia of destabilizing Ukraine and have slapped a number of sanctions against Russian and pro-Russia figures.

Moscow, however, rejects the accusation, saying the pro-Russia protests in Ukraine began spontaneously against the new interim government in Kiev following the ouster of President Viktor Yanukovych in February.