Friday 1 July 2022 01:18 AM 'New Iron Curtain descending on Europe', Russian foreign minister says trends now
A new Iron Curtain has begun to descend across Europe following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia's foreign minister has declared today.
Sergei Lavrov, speaking in Minsk after meeting with Belarus dictator Alexander Lukashenko, said Russia will not trust the US or EU on anything 'from now on.'
'As far as an iron curtain is concerned, essentially it is already descending,' on Europe he said. 'They should just be careful not to pinch anything.'
It comes after the West heavily sanctioned Russia in retaliation for Putin ordering his troops into Ukraine, and began giving Kyiv weapons to drive back the assault.
Sergei Lavrov, speaking in Minsk after meeting with Alexander Lukashenko, warned European leaders 'not to pinch anything' as a new Iron Curtain descends across the continent
He spoke after NATO agreed to reinforce its eastern flank, and declared Russia to be the biggest threat to the continent's security
Putin (right, meeting Indonesian President Joko Widodo today) has been hammered by sanctions and largely cut off from Western trade since the invasion
The original 'Iron Curtain' described the way Soviet Union and allied eastern European states sealed off contact with the West after the Second World War.
Now, Western nations have begun cutting themselves off from Russia and its allies over the war in Ukraine, arguing it is a threat to global security and established order.
Lavrov sought to dismiss Russia's growing isolation today, saying