TIANJIN: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday downplayed US President Donald Trump's threat to impose 100 per cent tariffs on Russia and its trading partners, asserting that Moscow is well equipped to withstand additional sanctions.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting of the Foreign Ministers Council of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) here, Lavrov underlined that Russia is already under an unprecedented number of sanctions and expressed confidence in the nation's ability to cope with any new burdens.
"The number of sanctions announced against us is already unprecedented. We are coping; I have no doubt we will cope (with the possible US sanctions)," he said.
This conclusion is based in particular on the assessment and the analysis of many independent Western economists and politicians, he said.
Trump has threatened to impose import tariffs at about 100 per cent on Russia and its trading partners if Moscow fails to reach an agreement with the US on the settlement in Ukraine within 50 days.
Lavrov said Moscow would like to understand what Trump meant by allocating 50 days to reach a settlement on Ukraine, the Russian news agency Tass reported.
"We would like to understand what is behind this statement after about 50 days. Earlier, there were also deadlines of 24 hours and 100 days; we've seen it all and really would like to understand the motivation of the US president," he said.
Lavrov also said the SCO countries have reiterated their commitment to Iran's legitimate right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy.
"We reiterated our countries' commitment to observing Tehran's legitimate right to peaceful uses of nuclear energy," he said.
The SCO comprises 10 member states, namely China, Russia, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and Belarus.
China currently holds the rotating presidency of the SCO.