Scandal between Lavrov and a major Italian newspaper that refused to publish an interview “full of propaganda” with him

A scandal broke out on Thursday between the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Italian daily “Corriere della Sera”, after the ministry told the Russian state agency TASS that the newspaper had interviewed the head of diplomacy in Moscow, Sergei Lavrov, but then refused to publish it in its entirety, “without censorship” and “cuts”. The “Corriere” management responded to the accusation stating that the request for a direct interview, as a discussion, was refused, so it sent the questions in advance, and the Russian Foreign Ministry responded with “a long text, full of accusations and propaganda”, reports News.ro.

Corriere della Sera refused to publish the interview with Sergey Lavrov – both in print and online. The editors justified the refusal by stating that Lavrov's statements “contain many controversial statements that require fact-checking or additional clarification,” which would exceed “reasonable limits.” Moscow quickly described the gesture as “outrageous censorship”.

As a result of the Italian newspaper's refusal to comply with Moscow's conditions, the transcript of the interview was published on the website of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was picked up by TASS, but also by the Russian Embassy in Romania, which posted it on Facebook summarizing the “main theses”.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov “gave a comprehensive answer” to each of the questions posed by “Corriere”, which then refused to publish the prepared text. “They explained that Lavrov's statements contain too many questionable statements that need to be verified or clarified, and their publication would go beyond reasonable limits,” said the ministry headed by Lavrov. “We suggested that an abbreviated version be published in the printed edition of the newspaper, and the full text be published on the website. The proposal was rejected,” the Russian ministry said. The institution considers this to be “a form of censorship”.

The management of the Italian newspaper immediately responded to this accusation with an explanation published in the online edition. “The Russian Foreign Ministry responded to the questions sent in advance by Corriere della Sera with a long text, full of accusations and propaganda. Our request to conduct a real interview, as a discussion, and to challenge the points that we considered necessary to clarify, was categorically rejected by the ministry,” the Italian daily pointed out. “Obviously, (Lavrov) considered that he can apply the same criteria to an Italian newspaper as in a country like Russia, where freedom of information has been abolished. When Minister Lavrov wants to give an interview in accordance with the principles of free and independent journalism, we will always be available,” the management of Corriere della Sera said.

Corriere della Sera is a historical Italian newspaper, published in Milan and founded in 1876 by Eugenio Torelli Viollier. As of February 2025, it had an average circulation of 221,558 copies. Published by RCS MediaGroup, Corriere is the most important Italian newspaper in terms of circulation and number of readers. Its slogan is: “Freedom of ideas”.

What Lavrov said

In answers to questions sent by Corriere della Sera, Lavrov talks about the “rise of Nazism in Europe”, claims that European governments are trying to distract their citizens from “aggravating internal socio-economic problems” by financing Kiev and describes Russia as a “civilized state with a history of a thousand years”.

According to the Reuters agency, Sergey Lavrov said in the interview published by TASS that he hopes that Washington will not take measures that could escalate the conflict in Ukraine. Lavrov said that US President Donald Trump has long supported dialogue with Russia, sought to fully understand Russia's position on Ukraine and “demonstrated commitment to finding a lasting peaceful solution.”

“We rely on common sense and the fact that maintaining this position will prevail in Washington and that they will refrain from actions that could escalate the conflict to a new level,” Lavrov said.

Reuters, which took over the statements from the interview broadcast by TASS since Wednesday evening, states that these comments by Lavrov were initially part of an interview given to the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, but TASS stated that the Italian newspaper refused to publish the interview.

Lavrov claimed in the interview that Trump knows that one of the reasons behind Russia's actions in Ukraine is the expansion of NATO and the deployment of its infrastructure near its border. “Essentially, this is what Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russia have been warning about for the past 20 years,” Lavrov pointed out.

Trump and Putin held talks in Alaska in August, and Lavrov spoke by phone with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on October 20 to discuss a possible new summit, days after Trump announced it in a phone call with Putin.

But Trump later said he had canceled the planned summit in Budapest. The US president has backed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Ukraine, with forces in their current front line positions, while Moscow has said it wants Kiev to cede more territory. Trump also imposed the first direct sanctions against Moscow, placing the Russian companies Lukoil and Rosneft on his blacklist.

After these actions by Washington, Sergey Lavrov disappeared from the public space, notably missing from an important meeting of the Russian Security Council, which gave rise to speculations that he would have fallen into disgrace with the Kremlin, after more than two decades in Putin's service.

But the veteran head of Russian diplomacy reappeared in public at the end of last week and has since begun a media offensive, speaking several times with the Russian press, including on Wednesday, when he resumed his aggressive rhetoric towards Ukraine and Europe, while adopting a much more cautious and balanced tone when it came to Donald Trump.

In his comments published by TASS, Lavrov accused Europe of planning to undermine US efforts to find a peaceful solution. Europe, he said, is “sabotaging all peace efforts and rejecting direct contacts with Moscow. It is introducing new sanctions that further affect its economies. It is openly preparing for a new major European war against Russia,” Lavrov accused. Russia will be ready to resume contacts with Europe “when this Russophobic frenzy passes. There is no other way to describe it,” Lavrov pointed out in answers not published by Corriere dela Sera, but picked up by TASS.

European leaders accused Russia of waging a “hybrid war” against European democracies and vowed to respond. European Union countries that support Ukraine last month agreed on a 19th package of sanctions against Russia and discussed ways to raise funds for Kiev using frozen Russian assets.