Russia’s foreign minster is asked a short and direct question about what Moscow expects from Donald Trump as president. 

Sergei Lavrov (Russia’s foreign minister) says during today’s conference that he expects the new president’s focus will be domestic for now, given the fires in California and his promises on massive migrant deportations. 

“He has first to move into the office – for the time being, all his explanations, all his considerations, they just don’t have a practical value. So let’s wait until the new administration has formulated its official attitude,” he says. 

“They have many problems left behind by Biden,” he adds. 

US interfering in Latin America, Lavrov says

Back in Moscow, Sergei Lavrov has been answering questions for nearly three hours. 

He’s been jumping from regional disputes to general geopolitics, but now he’s discussing Latin America. 

Asked what Russia’s plans for 2025 are in South America, Lavrov uses the opportunity to have another stab at Washington. 

“The United States is trying to interfere or is trying to fracture the progressive forces [in South America], but there is nothing surprising about that,” he says. 

The key points from Lavrov’s speech

The Russian foreign minister didn’t give much away in terms of any potential peace negotiations, despite speaking for just under three hours.  

Ukraine and Donald Trump came up on several occasions, but Lavrov either kept his answers vague or repeated longstanding Russian claims. 

Here are the key takeaways:

• Russia is ready to provide Ukraine with unspecified security guarantees; 
• But no progress will be made until Moscow “resolves the NATO issue once and for all”; 
• The Kremlin will keep a “close eye” on incoming US president Donald Trump; 
• But Lavrov thinks that Trump will need to focus on internal issues like wildfires in LA and deportations before setting a clear foreign policy agenda; 
• Despite that, Lavrov also told Moscow correspondent Ivor Bennett the Kremlin would study any proposal put forward by Trump;
• He also claimed Joe Biden and his administration have been interfering “everywhere”, including in Asia, Europe and South America.