"We hear a lot of statements from our western partners about the need to isolate Russia. President [of the United States Barack] Obama thought it was appropriate to say almost the same during his address to the nation yesterday. All these attempts will yield no results," Lavrov said, at a press conference in Moscow.
On Tuesday, Obama said in his State of the Union address that the United States stands strong with its allies, while Russia is "isolated, with its economy in tatters."
According to Lavrov, Russian President Vladimir Putin made it clear in his address to the Federal Assembly that "Russia will never choose the way of self-isolation, suspiciousness and search for enemies."
Russia's top diplomat also urged the United States to return to constructive mutual activities.
"The US administration has wrapped up bilateral dialogue in most areas. We call on our American partners to return to the path of constructive mutual activities on bilateral issues as well as on the world arena where our countries carry great responsibility," Lavrov said.
Following Crimea's reunification with Russia in March 2014, Moscow's relations with the West began to deteriorate.
The United States, along with its allies, have imposed multiple sanctions targeting Russia's banking, energy and military sectors, as well as several high-profile individuals, over Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine's internal affairs.
Russia has repeatedly denied accusations of involvement in the Ukrainian conflict and continues to urge the warring sides to establish direct dialogue.
US President Barack Obama’s address shows that the United States wants to be the dominant power in the world and not settle for just being “the leader of the pack,” the minister said.
“The Americans have taken a path of confrontation, completely and uncritically assessing their own steps, and President Obama’s speech yesterday shows that there is only one in the center of [his] philosophy: We are Number One. And everyone else just needs to understand that,” Lavrov said.
“This shows that the United States to dominate and not even settle for being ‘the leader of the pack,’” Lavrov added.
“The Americans have already been forced to turn for help and form coalitions as they cannot solve any issue all alone: This happened in Iraq and is continuing in the fight against the so-called Islamic State,” Lavrov said.
During his State of the Union address Tuesday, US President Barack Obama said that "American leadership" is stopping the advance of Islamic State (IS) in Iraq and Syria. He also urged the Congress to pass a resolution authorizing the use of force against the IS.
The IS is a radical Sunni group that has been fighting the Syrian government since 2012, extending its attacks to northern Iraq in June 2014. IS jihadists have seized vast areas in Iraq and neighboring Syria, declaring an Islamic caliphate in the territories under their control.
In September 2014, Obama announced an anti-IS international coalition led by the United States against the radical jihadist group. The coalition currently involves 62 countries and has been launching airstrikes against IS positions in both Iraq and Syria.
