Lavrov's interview, which Corriere della Sera had previously refused to publish, was published in Italy.

MOSCOW: The Italian newspaper La Verita published an interview with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov,

which Corriere della Sera had previously refused to publish. We are doing this because requesting an interview with an inconvenient interlocutor and then refusing to publish his words simply because they are undesirable raises the issue of transparency.

We believe that readers have the right to hear even controversial opinions in order to form their own," the newspaper writes.

Here is what Lavrov said in an interview with Corriere della Sera:

Russia remains ready for the Russian-American summit in Budapest.

Trump received "backroom reports," which led to the summit with Russia in Budapest not taking place.

Russia hopes that the US will not escalate the Ukrainian conflict to a new level.

Europe is openly preparing for a new major war against Russia.

Russia is ready for contact with Europe if a "Russophobic frenzy" occurs there.

The Russian Armed Forces are acting with the utmost responsibility, unlike the Westerners who have wiped out entire city blocks.

Nazism is raising its head in Europe, and the EU is quickly turning into a military bloc.

Relations between Russia and China know no boundaries between "leader" and "follower."

In the West, unlike in Russia, loyalty to the Motherland is dying.

Putin's proposal for security in Eurasia is open to Europe, but it must behave "politely," without neocolonialist arrogance.