Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov wants people to stop asking him about the failed “reset” with Russia because he says “it was the invention of Hillary Clinton and Obama administration.”
Mr. Lavrov told Bloomberg that he had a very good relationship with former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. He added that Russian President Vladimir Putin had good personal relations with former President George W. Bush, The Weekly Standard reported Tuesday.
Mrs. Clinton presented Mr. Lavrov with a “reset” button in 2009 that erroneously had the word “overcharged” written on it. The gesture was meant to symbolize a new day of diplomacy between the new nations.
Since the introduction of the “reset” button, Russia has gone on to annex Crimea, helped foment unrest in eastern Ukraine, and challenged NATO member states with provocative military actions. On May 30, for instance, a Russian Su-24 aircraft streaked by the guided-missile destroyer USS Ross in the Black Sea. The jet was roughly 1,600 feet from the side of U.S. Navy destroyer at an altitude of 600 feet.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.