Russia's foreign minister on
Wednesday denied that Western countries could isolate Moscow,
following US President Obama's remark in his state of the union
address Tuesday that "Russia is isolated, with its economy in
tatters".
In his annual press conference reviewing Russian diplomatic
and political relations, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said
attempts to isolate Moscow won't bring results.
"Russia will never follow a path of self-isolation," Lavrov
said.
Lavrov invited the US to return to "constructive
cooperation" based on "respect for reciprocal interests".
"Moscow doesn't want and won't permit a new cold war," he
said.
Lavrov also said that eastern Ukrainian rebels of the
self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics have
agreed to withdraw heavy artillery from the contact line
separating them from Kiev's troops.
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