The United States exercises external control over Ukraine, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.

"The Americans are definitely exercising external control there [in Ukraine - ed]. And to put all the blame for everything that is happening on Russia - we are familiar with this tactic and strategy - it will not succeed," Lavrov said at a meeting with the Italian Foreign Minister in Moscow.

According to him, the North Atlantic Alliance is taking an arrogant and provocative stance, pursuing an open door policy that encourages neutral countries to join NATO.

Lavrov noted that the alliance had previously rejected Russia's desire to legally enshrine the principle of the indivisibility of security, refusing Moscow after long attempts to evade any discussion at all.

NATO members said that this is out of the question, because legal security guarantees can only be provided within the framework of NATO, to no one else, he added.