MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. The Presidents of Russia and the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump, respect each other and appreciate the desire to protect the national interests of their states, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told NBC News in an interview.
"Russian President Vladimir Putin respects US President Donald Trump. He respects how attentive President Trump is to the national interests of the United States, and is focused on protecting the interests, well-being, and historical heritage of the American people. President Trump respects the same attitude of Russian President Putin towards protecting Russia's national interests and the basic interests of Russian citizens, including the right to be a nation with a rich history, traditions and, if you like, a duty to support those who share the values of the Russian language and, if you like, the Russian world," Lavrov stressed.
He noted that the United States started wars in Central America because one American citizen was physically attacked. However, as the minister noted, this has never raised any questions in the American media. "We are there [in Ukraine] protecting millions of ethnic Russians and Russian-speaking people who wanted to be citizens of Ukraine, but the putschists who came to power in Ukraine declared them terrorists," the Russian Foreign Minister said.
