Question: It's no secret that from the very beginning of the special military operation in Ukraine, the United States and its Western allies actively pushed the political leadership in different regions of the world to condemn Russia and join anti-Russian sanctions. But many states chose to remain neutral. Do you think that they will continue their attempts to bring Asian countries to the anti-Russian camp this year? And what can Moscow oppose to this?
Answer: The main political and economic nightmare for the West as part of its strategic anti-Russian line - regardless of whether it is implemented against the background of the special military operation or comes from other deep motives - is our dynamically developing relationship with Asia.
Russia's opponents didn't succeed in hampering our cooperation with Asian partners in the region in the past and likewise the year 2022, which sorted things out in terms of world politics and economics, including in the context of determining the contours of the future world order, clearly showed that the world is different now and unwilling to follow the "rules of the game" imposed by the West. Positively-minded countries are in no hurry to sign up for new closed "coalitions of like-minded", to throw resources into block schemes, to fuel the geopolitical and geo-economic ambitions of Washington and its allies. These processes are brewed in an intra-Western "cauldron". Let them stay there.
The priorities of the Asian countries, and we clearly see this, are others - co-development, the collective struggle against new challenges and threats, the well-being and prosperity of peoples, rather than geopolitical rivalry, the redistribution of markets and relocation of production and logistics chains for their own needs.
Western politicians and diplomats travel around the region, persuading our partners to wrap up cooperation programs with Russia, while the countries of the Middle East and South Asia, figuratively speaking, line up to join the #SCO. Clearly and unambiguously make it clear that they are interested in working in a non-toxic space of international cooperation.
We see the prospects for expansion of the #BRICS external relations. Not a single area of our cooperation with #ASEAN has slowed down. Moreover, 2022 has been designated the ASEAN-Russia Year of Scientific and Technical Cooperation. We develop contacts in the spheres of economy, energy, security, education, tourism, healthcare, and volunteering. These topics are relevant and clear for everyone.
Therefore, we do not need to oppose anything to anyone.
#ASEANRussia#RussiaASEAN#ASEAN#SCO#BRICS
📢 Delighted to announce that the 3rd ASEAN-Russia Consultations of the High Representatives for Security Issues were successfully held in Moscow region on 23 May 2023 on the sidelines of the 11th International Meeting of High Level Officials Responsible for Security Matters.
🔹️This unique ASEAN-Russia platform proved to be an important venue for professional and open dialogueon issues related to regional and global security as well as developing multilateral interaction in combating common challenges and threats.
🔹️ During the meeting Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation H.E. Mr. Nikolai Patrushev 🇷🇺 reaffirmed Russia's commitment to ASEAN centrality in the region and its will to further deepen cooperation with #ASEAN in all dimensions including security.
🔹️For the first time since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic the Consultations were conducted in person.
#ASEANRussia#RussiaASEAN
🎙 Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at a solemn event on the occasion of Diplomatic Worker’s Day(Moscow, February 10, 2025)
💬 Our work on carrying out the foreign policy is highly appreciated by the country’s leadership. <…> On behalf of the ministerial staff, I would like to express appreciation for your unwavering attention to our activities, proposals, and needs.
The trust in us places serious obligations on the Russian diplomatic service. Our duty is to do everything in our power to protect the interests of our country and people in the international arena. We are guided by the instructions issued by President Vladimir Putin, who sets forth our country’s foreign policy principles. We rely on many centuries of traditions of domestic diplomacy, our own knowledge, experience and common sense.
☝️ Today, just as throughout its millennial history, our country is navigating complex international processes. The combination of daunting challenges and breathtaking opportunities is a hallmark of the current phase of international development. The new is battling the old, and Russia - I think this high opinion is perfectly legitimate in these circumstances - is leading the way forward amid progressive forces advocating for international cooperation on a legal, mutually respectful and mutually beneficial basis in the best interests of common free development that is devoid of external diktat and coercion.
<…>
In no case should we freeze and hope that things will take care of themselves and everything will be like it used to be. We must look and move forward. Our active participation in the unions without “leaders” and “followers,” or “teachers” and “disciples” need to be the focus of our efforts. These unions include #BRICS, which has expanded and got stronger in the wake of Russia’s 2024 presidency, and the #SCO with its serious potential for strengthening cooperation to promote stability in Eurasia.
The voice of other associations in the CIS, Asia, Africa and Latin America that focus on integration can now be heard louder in international affairs. These associations include our natural allies and partners. <…>
❗️Forming a broad space of peace and development in Eurasia, which is the world’s largest, resource-rich and rapidly developing continent, should remain our key area of focus. These efforts are facilitated by the objective formation of the Greater Eurasian Partnership through expanding trade and economic ties, carrying out infrastructure projects, and harmonising integration processes, primarily within the #EAEU, the #SCO, #ASEAN and China’s Belt and Road Initiative. <…>
This year marks the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War. Preserving historical memory of the Great Victory, and fighting uncompromisingly against the masterminds of neo-Nazi ideology and falsifiers of history is our sacred duty before the generation of heroes who liberated Kiev and Odessa, and Berlin and Prague. <…>
👉 The fateful changes in the international balance of power have determined the urgent need for structural and personnel reform in the ministry’s system. <…> Analyse the results of the first stage of reforms. They include an additional Department for African Partnership and a reduction of one European department. Please, submit proposals for the next stage. <…>
Ensuring the continuity of generations must remain our constant priority at historical inflexion points like the one we are having now. Passing experience from senior comrades on to young employees, who are just starting to work at the Foreign Ministry, is of particular importance.
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🎙 Excerpt from the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin's speech during a meeting with chairmen of parliaments of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation Member States (December 9, 2024)
💬Vladimir Putin: It is indeed commendable that interactions are facilitated through civil society and religious organisations. However, it is essential that all these efforts are bolstered by members of parliament, who engage directly with the people, safeguarding the interests of their electorate.
One of the key elements of the Assembly's work has been and continues to be the oversight of elections in member countries.
🌐 The CSTO Parliamentary Assembly has deservedly attained broad international acclaim and has forged substantial cooperation with relevant international bodies, such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (#SCO), the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (#ASEAN), and numerous countries in Latin America and Africa.
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🎙Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's interview with Channel One’s Bolshaya Igra (Great Game) political talk show(September 18, 2025)
Key points:
• Unlike all other Western figures, whose actions and positions boiled down to the mantra that “Ukraine is right,” that Russia must suffer a “strategic defeat,” and that Ukraine’s sovereignty must be restored within its 1991 borders, Donald Trump and his team have repeatedly demonstrated, including publicly, an understanding of the need to address the root causes of the conflict. Donald Trump has stated publicly on multiple occasions that drawing Ukraine into NATO was a mistake. He made it abundantly clear that, to achieve a settlement, these aspirations must be set aside and security must be built on different principles.
• We appreciated Donald Trump's openness and frankness back then and we do now. He doesn’t use underhand tactics, and he never conceals his thoughts. We appreciate his emphasis on results. He calls it making a deal in the broad sense of the word.
• We would like to maintain the current dialogue between our Presidents, Foreign Ministers, national security aides, and special envoys of the two Presidents, as well as communication via other channels. We see that the American side wants this too.
• All these Europeans made no secret of their previous and ongoing public efforts to dissuade US leadership from pursuing any constructive measures towards Russia within the context of the Ukrainian crisis. They seek to drag the United States back onto the treacherous path it followed under Joe Biden, when this was “Joe Biden’s war.” The Europeans are determined to make it “Donald Trump’s war” as well. They do not conceal this.
• President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly made it clear that, ultimately, a sustainable agreement means a compromise. We are prepared to seek a compromise provided that our legitimate security interests and the legitimate interests of the Russian people in Ukraine are ensured just as the legitimate interests of other parties to such an agreement are.
• The Trump administration recognises the importance of NATO-related issues. They’ve stated it publicly. There’s an understanding that the referenda in Crimea and other territories cannot be ignored. Any potential agreement must take the outcomes of these referenda into account.
• Undoubtedly, they seek to impede any agreement – they oppose a settlement that would terminate their protracted endeavours to transform Ukraine into a perpetual irritant, if not an explicit threat, to the Russian Federation. That is obvious.
• The war in Ukraine which the West has organised against us has proved that the Euro-Atlantic concepts have not lived up to the promises made during their creation.
• President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated: we have never had, do not have, and will never have any plans to attack any NATO or EU country. Since 2008, we have tabled documents guaranteeing indivisible security and ensuring that no country enhances its security at the expense of others. This was endorsed by all parties within OSCE summits.
• The new emerging economies continue to assert themselves. All forecasts point to this being a long-term and sustainable trend. <...> There is unity both within #BRICS and within the #SCO. We reject domination and diktat, and advocate for indivisible security across all regions.
• We have our own military-political alliances, primarily the Union State of Russia and Belarus. The CSTO and the SCO also have a strong military-political dimension related to ensuring the security of member states. None of these formats ever sought to be hostile towards anyone.
• President Putin advanced the initiative for creating a continental Eurasian security architecture in 2024, starting with joining the efforts and launching dialogue between subregional integration organisations and gradually moving towards a continental agreement.
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🇷🇺🇨🇳 Russia's President Vladimir Putin and President of China Xi Jinping made a media statement following Russia-China talks (May 16, 2024)
💬Vladimir Putin: The talks we have just finished highlighted the great significance that Moscow and Beijing attach to the development and strengthening of comprehensive Russia-China partnership and strategic interaction. This partnership can certainly set an example of ties between neighbouring states.
Key talking points:
• This state visit takes place in the year of the 75th Anniversary of our diplomatic relations. Our country was the first to recognise the People’s Republic of China on October 2, 1949, the day after its declaration.
• I want to note the significance of the Joint Statement we have adopted, which sets new objectives and long-term directives for advancing the entire spectrum of Russian-Chinese relations.
📈 In 2023, bilateral trade surged by a quarter, reaching a new milestone of $240 billion, as reported by Chinese statistics. While there may be a slight variance in figures, the overall total is entirely accurate. <...> Currently, there are over 80 priority projects valued at approximately $200 billion in progress or in preparation for implementation through the respective intergovernmental commission.
• Our talks have reaffirmed that Russia and China have similar or identical views on many international and regional issues. Both countries have an independent and sovereign foreign policy. We are working together to create a fairer and more democratic multipolar world order.
• We have agreed to further improve communication between credit and banking institutions of Russia and China, while actively employing national payment systems to support our economic operators.
🤝 Russia and China are fruitfully working together in #BRICS and the #SCO. <...> Our countries are resolved to continue working to align integration processes underway within the framework of the #EAEU with China's Belt and Road Initiative.
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@RusEmbMalta Press release:
🇷🇺 President Vladimir Putin's Address to the Federal Assembly
(February 29, 2024)
💬 Key talking points:
🔹 Just like any other ideology promoting racism, national superiority or exceptionalism, Russophobia is blinding and stupefying. The US and its satellites have, in fact, dismantled the European security system which has created risks for everyone.
🔹 The West has provoked conflicts in Ukraine, the Middle East, and other regions around the world while consistently propagating falsehoods. Now they have the audacity to say that Russia harbours intentions of attacking Europe.
🔹 The principles of equality and respect for each other’s interests guide us in our interactions with our partners. This is why more and more countries have been proactive in seeking to be part of the activities of the #EAEU, the #SCO, #BRICS and other associations involving Russia.
Read in full here.
@RusEmbMalta Press release:
📰Article by Russia' Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ‘The Helsinki Act’s 50th anniversary: Expectations, reality, and future’
Published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta on August 1, 2025
✍️ Marking the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and WWII in 2025 serves as an occasion for us to recall and reaffirm the importance of peace which came at such a high cost for our forefathers. We must also be mindful of how fragile this peace architecture is. In fact, its integrity hinges upon the ability of countries and their people to engage in coordinated collective action.
Back in 1945, the year of Victory, major powers realised the need to overcome their differences for the sake of the humankind as a whole. This paved the way for establishing the United Nations as one of the key derivatives of this vision. In fact, the purposes and principles set out in the UN Charter remain relevant to this day and are in step with the reality of an emerging multipolar world order.
But there is another international event which happened precisely 50 years ago and is worth commemorating. This is when the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) was signed. It became a landmark event in consolidating the post-war architecture based on the framework resulting from the Yalta and Potsdam conferences.
☝️ Those camping on unfriendly positions towards Russia seek to diminish and sweep under the carpet the fact that our country, which was the USSR at that time, played a leading role in the Helsinki process, while also distorting the objectives the Soviet leaders were pursuing. We are facing groundless and unappealing accusations of undermining the European security framework, and politicians in the EU and NATO have made no secret of their intention to re-write the outcomes of WWII and do not shy away from concocting barbaric fakes for that purpose.
Key points:
🔹Western countries have breached all the OSCE agreements on arms control and confidence-building measures. Russia has appealed to the conscience of Western elites more than once, inviting them to coordinate reliable security guarantees based on fundamental commitment adopted within the OSCE.
🔹 Europe is deeply immersed in Russophobia, and its militarisation is essentially becoming uncontrollable. There are more than enough facts of this. <...> This brings historical events to mind: with their current leaders, modern Germany and the rest of Europe are transforming into a Fourth Reich.
🔹 In recent years, the West has openly shown absolute contempt for the OSCE’s principles & embarked on the path of suppressing rivals through economic pressure, including unlawful unilateral measures against Russia, Belarus and any other country that strives to defend its legitimate national interests.
🔹 The scale of accumulated OSCE problems is immense. Burdened by them, the Organisation has been side-lined in international affairs. The Vienna platform no longer offers space for cooperation or security. The architects of the Helsinki Final Act did not envisage such a future for the pan-European process. It is high time to consider whether such an Organisation has any reason to persist.
🔹 Today, the ideas of sovereign equality of states and their mutually respectful dialogue – strangled in the OSCE – are being realised through multilateral cooperation projects within the CSTO, the CIS, #SCO, and other regional frameworks across Eurasia.
🔹 As a strategic objective, Russia envisions forming a flexible and resilient architecture of equal & indivisible security and cooperation in Eurasia, capable of addressing contemporary challenges.
🔹 There will be no future for the OSCE if NATO and EU countries do away with the consensus rule and continue using this platform with its headquarters in Vienna as their private mouthpiece for spreading shameless propaganda campaigns to demonise Russia & any other parties who break ranks, while backing their underlings in Kiev.
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@RusEmbMalta press release
The President of Russia Vladimir Putin paid a two-day working visit to Astana to participate in a meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organization Heads of States Council (July 3-4, 2024)
Vladimir Putin held a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the #SCO summit: with President of Mongolia Ukhnaagiin Khurelsükh, President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, President of Turkiye Recep Tayyip Erdogan, President of China Xi Jinping, President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, Acting President of Iran Mohammad Mokhber, and Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.
Following its results, the participants signed the Astana Declaration and adopted and signed a number of other documents. They also held a meeting in the SCO Plus format.
In conclusion of his visit, Vladimir Putin answered media questions.
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🎙 President of Russia Vladimir Putin's speech at the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Heads of State Council.
💬 President Putin: We believe it is important that all members of the association share their approaches to the situation in global politics, security, the social and economic spheres.
At the same time, our organisation is strongly committed to creating a truly just and multipolar world order, an order based on international law and common principles of mutually respectful cooperation between sovereign states with the central, coordinating role of the United Nations.
Our organisation plays an increasingly important role in international affairs and brings a substantial contribution to maintaining peace and stability, ensuring sustainable economic growth of its member states and developing ties between peoples.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my colleagues in the #SCO member states who have expressed their support for the Russian leadership in defending the constitutional order, lives and security of its citizens. We greatly appreciate this.
Russia has been in favour of strengthening cooperation between the member states in investment, banking and finance, as well as in industry, energy, transport and logistics, agriculture, telecommunications, digitalisation and high tech.
Counterterrorism, countering extremism and religious radicalism, curbing drug trafficking and other types of smuggling, combating militant formations must remain a priority of the SCO.
It is a matter of satisfaction that the authority and influence of our association continue to improve, and other countries and international structures show interest in its activity. They trust us and want to be friends and work together.
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⚡️BRICS Joint Statement on the Escalation of the Security Situation in the Middle East Following the Military Strikes on the Territory of the Islamic Republic of Iran (June 24, 2025)
📃 We express grave concern over the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since 13 June 2025, which constitute a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and the subsequent escalation of the security situation in the Middle East.
In the face of rising tensions with unpredictable consequences for international peace and security, as well as for the world economy, we underscore the urgent need to break the cycle of violence and restore peace.
We call on all parties to engage through existing channels of dialogue and diplomacy, with a view to de-escalating the situation and resolving their differences through peaceful means.
☝️ We express serious concern over any attacks against peaceful nuclear installations, which are carried out in violation of international law and relevant resolutions of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Nuclear safeguards, safety and security must always be upheld, including in armed conflicts, to protect people and environment from harm. In this context, we reiterate our support for diplomatic initiatives aimed at addressing regional challenges.
Civilian lives must be protected, and civilian infrastructure must be safeguarded, in full compliance with international humanitarian law. We extend our sincere condolences to the families of the victims and express our solidarity with civilians affected.
Guided by the principles enshrined in the United Nations Charter, #BRICS remains committed to promoting international peace and security and to fostering diplomacy and peaceful dialogue as the only sustainable path toward long-term stability in the region. In this regard, we also reaffirm the necessity of establishing a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, in line with relevant international resolutions.
❗️ We call upon the international community to support and facilitate dialogue processes, uphold international law, and contribute constructively to peaceful settlements of disputes for the benefit of all humanity.
BRICS countries will remain seized of the matter.