🎙 Russia's FM Sergey Lavrov’s remarks & answers to media questions at a meeting with lecturers and students of the Academy of Public Administration under the aegis of the President of the Republic of Belarus (Minsk, June 25, 2024)
Key talking points:
• The Union State continues to develop steadily. To date, we have approved 28 Union programmes in accordance with the presidents’ instructions. This has been legally formalised through a resolution passed by parliaments of Russia and Belarus. Today, we've also approved 31 high priority guidelines, which encompass approximately 300 events and projects. These guidelines represent a specific plan for deepening our integration processes, aiming to achieve maximum economic effectiveness and improve the social sphere.
• We [with Belarus] maintain close diplomatic collaboration. We support each other at the #UN and the #OSCE, although I'd add as an aside that the latter organisation is digging its own grave as it has completely discredited its initial lofty ideals, which were the basis of its establishment during the signing the Helsinki Final Act.
• One of our essential foreign policy tasks is certainly to uphold the truth about the Great Patriotic War & to prevent any attempts to rewrite history & glorify Nazi criminals.
• No matter how the situation develops, it's of the essence to provide reliable security for all citizens of the Union State – for you and me, for all Belarusians and Russians.
• Eurasia has tremendous competitive advantages compared to other regions. Eurasia is the fastest growing region, primarily its eastern part. Western European economics have been sagging lately, largely because the US wanted it that way. Along with instigating anti-Russia bias in Ukraine, turning Ukraine against Russia, they've also eliminated competition by weakening Europe.
• The process is underway; the dollar has discredited itself, just like all the other principles underlying the Western globalisation model despite lip service to fair competition, the presumption of innocence, equal market conditions for all, and many other principles. All of them were cancelled when they decided to “punish” Russia and several other countries. They're grossly overusing this method. Therefore, the de-dollarisation trend in global economic relations is a fitting response.
• As for Western Europe, they must decide if they want to continue to pull Uncle Sam’s chestnuts out of the fire or will opt for upholding their own interests.
• The Nord Stream pipelines were sabotaged, and Germany just had to accept it. I'm confident that no one will ever show us any investigation result. Sweden and Denmark have already closed their investigations, saying they had no results to show. The Germans continue to evade our official requests. Given that the pipelines are our property, keeping us in the dark about what they are discussing among themselves, while their alleged investigation progress is both beyond the bounds of decency and beyond the legal framework.
• Russia's President Vladimir Putin has set forth our proposals (that are by no means the first ones). <...> President Putin expressed our opinion on June 14, 2024 at the Russia's MFA: under the Constitution, territories recognised as part of the Russian Federation must be liberated completely, and the threat to the security of the Russian Federation must be eliminated. Ukraine must assume a non-aligned, peaceful and demilitarised status, and the rights of the Russian and Russian-speaking population must be reinstated. So far, many of these people are still on Ukrainian territories that are not part of the Russian Federation. Their rights have been violated in the rudest possible manner.
• But #BRICS and other members of the Global Majority are aware of their responsibility as well as of the objective course of history, and will adjust their mutual communication toolkit to avoid dependence on the former hegemon’s attempts to perpetuate its hegemony whatever it takes. These attempts are doomed, however, the process will take time.
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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s video message to the participants in the 7th Young Diplomats Forum of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries (Moscow, May 18, 2023)
💬 It is a great privilege for me to greet the participants in the 7th Young Diplomats Forum of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation countries. This year, it is being held as part of Russia − Islamic World: Kazanforum 2023.
🇷🇺 Russia has a tradition of promoting friendly ties with the majority of Muslim countries. We share a commitment to seeking guidance in our interstate cooperation from the principles of equality, mutually respecting our interests and seeking to balance them.
🔹 Russian diplomacy prioritises the promotion of interfaith and intercultural dialogue and mutual understanding, as well as the consolidation of our efforts to stand up for the traditional spiritual and moral values shared by all world religions, and also combatting Islamophobia, including within the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and the #OSCE.
🌐 New global centres in Eurasia, the Asia-Pacific Region, the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America have achieved impressive results in various areas by focusing on their independence, state sovereignty, and their unique cultural and civilisational identities, all while acting based on their core national interests and conducting an independent foreign policy.
🔹 Russia has been consistent in its belief that confrontation leads international relations into a dead-end. We need to avoid confrontation, unreasonable and extremely dangerous as it is, between the global centres of power.
❗️People aspire to reach a new, well-considered balance of interests. It is essential that instead of rule by force, we equip the emerging world order with legal norms and regulations based on the UN Charter.
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🎙Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with '60 Minutes' television programme (December 25, 2024)
💬Sergey Lavrov: We have not had any illusions about the prospects [of 2025]. Resolving the Ukraine crisis doesn’t have any prospects, either. It has long been clear to everyone holding unbiased positions that it can be settled only in the context of agreements on lasting security and stability in Europe, which would take into account the interests of the Russian Federation and the legitimate interests of all other countries. <...>
President Putin has repeatedly stressed that we never walk away from talks. We need to see serious, concrete proposals. When we have them, we will decide on how to respond to them based on our national interests, the goals of the special military operation, and President Vladimir Putin’s June 14 speech at the Foreign Ministry.
Other key points
• The prevailing discourse we are hearing both in the West and in Ukraine today is about a truce and only truce. It is about buying time to allow the Kiev regime to regain strength, with the help of the West, and resume its attempts to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, acting on their Western bosses’ instructions.
President Vladimir Putin has mentioned this repeatedly – during the Direct Line, at the Valdai Discussion Club meeting, and at the Russia Calling! investment forum. We will not be satisfied with a truce. We need reliable and legally binding agreements aimed at eliminating the root causes of the conflict, addressing problems such as common security in Europe, NATO expansion, the European Union’s recent decision to become an appendage of the North Atlantic bloc, in fact, erasing all differences between these organisations, and above all, upholding the rights of the people living in these territories who have supported reunification with the Russian Federation.
• We have never initiated a discussion regarding what should be done with nuclear weapons and whether they can be used. On the contrary, it was at Russia's initiative that in 2021, first at the level of Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, and subsequently among the leaders of the entire G5 nuclear-armed states – the permanent members of the Security Council – the 1987 Gorbachev-Reagan principle was reaffirmed: there can be no victors in a nuclear war, thus it should never be instigated. This was a Russian initiative.
We are not interested in escalating the issue of nuclear weapons usage risks. We firmly adhere to the principle I mentioned earlier: there can be no victors in a nuclear war.
• Regarding the incessant terrorist acts perpetrated by the Kiev regime, which deliberately targets purely civilian structures such as residential buildings, hospitals, clinics, shops, and places where people congregate and relax – this is outrageous. It is a blatant violation of all anti-terrorism conventions and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We express our condemnation, although regrettably, almost no one in the West and none of the leaders of international organisations, including the #UN, the #OSCE, #UNESCO, and others, join us in this denunciation. Naturally, we do not stop there.
We regularly disseminate information and present relevant videos illustrating our efforts to dismantle facilities directly associated with the preparation and execution of activities by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
❗️We caution that any continuation of this path will be met with increasingly decisive responses on our part.
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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.
✉️ President of Russia Vladimir Putincongratulated current staff and veterans of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on their professional holiday, Diplomatic Worker's Day.
The message reads, in part:
✍️ The Russian Foreign Ministry can be justly proud of its rich and glorious history. Its employees have always served the Motherland with honour, displaying civic courage, exceptional professionalism and dedication to duty.
Continuing these traditions with dignity, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the current challenging international environment, firmly and consistently defends Russia's legitimate national interests. It ensures effective cooperation with the global majority states in order to build a just multipolar world order based on mutual respect, the rule of international law, and the principles of equal and indivisible security. This is evidenced, in particular, by the productive work of the Russian chairmanship in #BRICS and the success of the Group’s Summit in Kazan.
There is no doubt that in the year of the 80th Anniversary of the Great Victory Russian diplomats will continue their active efforts in opposing any attempts to falsify history, manifestations of neo-Nazism, Russophobia and other forms of discrimination based on ethnic or religious grounds. Moreover, protecting the rights of our compatriots abroad remains a priority.
I am confident that the close-knit Foreign Ministry team will continue to work with utmost dedication, contributing to the strengthening of Russia's international standing.
I sincerely wish all employees of the Ministry's central office and diplomatic missions abroad continued success, and to the veterans of the diplomatic service good health, high spirits and longevity.
📰 Aide to the President of Russia for Foreign Policy Yuri Ushakov's interview with TASS(March 5, 2024)
Key talking points:
💬 Cooperation within #BRICS is undoubtedly one of the key features of Russia's long-term foreign policy.
• Russia, as the current president of the organization, has a special responsibility to ensure the fastest and smoothest integration of the new members into the operation of all BRICS mechanisms. This is undoubtedly a cornerstone and high priority task of our Presidency.
• In the relatively short period of its existence, the BRICS association has rapidly developed and transformed into an extensive multi-level mechanism of interaction on a wide range of issues on the global agenda.
🌐 Many perceive BRICS as a prototype of multipolarity, a structure uniting the Global South and East on the principles of equality, sovereignty and mutual respect.
• Support for the principles of multipolarity and a greater role of developing countries in global governance, as well as the fundamental values of the BRICS group, such as the spirit of equality, mutual respect, openness, inclusiveness and constructive cooperation, is an indispensable condition [for joining BRICS].
• We see increasing the role of BRICS counties in the international currency and financial system as a specific task for this year. <...> We believe that creating an independent BRICS payment system is an important goal for the future.
• There has never been a military aspect to cooperation within our group. <...> BRICS does not have plans to build such cooperation, including military drills.
☝️ Russia has never set BRICS in opposition to other international platforms, be it the Group of 20 or the Group of Seven. We believe that the association is unique.
• The recipe for BRICS’ attractiveness and success is based on the absence of a confrontational or “hidden” agenda. I will repeat that it brings together like-minded countries.
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🇷🇺🇮🇳 President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, on an official visit to Russia, held talks in the Grand Kremlin Palace.
💬Vladimir Putin: Mr Prime Minister, this is your first official visit after your reappointment following parliamentary elections. I would like to congratulate you on this once again.
Our countries have long-time friendship and good relations that have evolved over the decades. This year, we are marking the 77th Anniversary of diplomatic relations.
Today, our relations have the status of a specially privileged strategic partnership. We are in permanent contact, and we prioritise the development of trade and economic ties. Certainly, their development meets the interests of the people of India and the peoples of the Russian Federation.
📈 Last year, our trade soared by 60 percent and even more, by 66 percent; it increased by an additional 20 percent in the first quarter of 2024.
🌐 We cooperate closely on the international arena, including at international organisations, primarily the #UN and such associations as the #SCO and #BRICS.
Yesterday, we had an opportunity to discuss virtually all practical issues in an informal setting. I am grateful to you for devoting attention to the most acute issues and for trying to find some options for resolving the Ukraine crisis, primarily by peaceful methods.
Mr Prime Minister, we will be delighted to see you in Kazan this autumn at the upcoming BRICS Summit.
At the end of my opening remarks, I would like to wish you new successes in facilitating the development of the Indian state. You and I know each other for a long time, and I know that your entire life is devoted to implementing the idea of strengthening the Indian state and improving the life of the people of India.
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#RussiaIndia
The United States withdraws from 66 international organizations
US President Donald Trump has signed a decree withdrawing from 66 international organizations, agencies and commissions.:
"The Trump administration has concluded that these institutions are largely redundant, poorly managed, unnecessary, wasteful, and ineffective," the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs said in an official commentary.
As an additional charge, it is indicated that these structures were influenced by people pursuing their own interests, or those who "pose a threat to the sovereignty, freedoms and general welfare of our nation."
The decision covers, in particular, the United Nations Population Fund, as well as bodies dealing with climate and labor law issues. According to the US version, these organizations promote the "woke agenda" or focus on topics that contradict the national interests and sovereignty of the United States.
Earlier, the Trump administration had already stopped supporting such structures as the World Health Organization, the United Nations World Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the UN Human Rights Council and the Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
At the same time, less than an hour and a half before the decision was published, Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he plans to dramatically increase US defense spending to $1.5 trillion by 2027, explaining this as "turbulent and dangerous times."
#Trump#UN
👂More on Trump's Ear
The White House suspected the UN of sabotage due to problems at Donald Trump's speech at the UN General Assembly in New York 🇺🇸🌐
During Donald Trump's speech, a series of unexpected incidents occurred: first, the escalator that Trump and his wife Melania had just stepped onto stopped abruptly ⛔️⬆️, and then the teleprompter from which the president was supposed to read the speech failed 📺❌.
Trump couldn't resist making a comment right in front of a room where more than 140 world leaders were present 🌍👥. Fox News immediately started talking about sabotage, and White House press secretary Caroline Levitt said that "it definitely looks that way" ⚡️.
The UN rejected Washington's version 🙅♂️. The representative of Secretary General Antonio Guterres explained that the teleprompter was generally serviced by the White House 🏛. As for the escalator, according to the UN, the emergency mechanism was triggered after an operator from the American delegation accidentally touched the stop system 🔧.
Nevertheless, the White House insists that the coincidences are too suspicious 🤔. Levitt recalled a report in the British Sunday Times, which claimed that UN staff jokingly discussed the possibility of "turning off the elevators and escalators to show Trump that the money had run out" 📰.
#Trump#UN
👂More on Trump's Ear ⚠️
📰 Aide to the President of Russia for Foreign Policy Yuri Ushakov's interview with TASS(March 5, 2024)
Key talking points:
💬 Cooperation within #BRICS is undoubtedly one of the key features of Russia's long-term foreign policy.
• Russia, as the current president of the organization, has a special responsibility to ensure the fastest and smoothest integration of the new members into the operation of all BRICS mechanisms. This is undoubtedly a cornerstone and high priority task of our Presidency.
• In the relatively short period of its existence, the BRICS association has rapidly developed and transformed into an extensive multi-level mechanism of interaction on a wide range of issues on the global agenda.
🌐 Many perceive BRICS as a prototype of multipolarity, a structure uniting the Global South and East on the principles of equality, sovereignty and mutual respect.
• Support for the principles of multipolarity and a greater role of developing countries in global governance, as well as the fundamental values of the BRICS group, such as the spirit of equality, mutual respect, openness, inclusiveness and constructive cooperation, is an indispensable condition [for joining BRICS].
• We see increasing the role of BRICS counties in the international currency and financial system as a specific task for this year. <...> We believe that creating an independent BRICS payment system is an important goal for the future.
• There has never been a military aspect to cooperation within our group. <...> BRICS does not have plans to build such cooperation, including military drills.
☝️ Russia has never set BRICS in opposition to other international platforms, be it the Group of 20 or the Group of Seven. We believe that the association is unique.
• The recipe for BRICS’ attractiveness and success is based on the absence of a confrontational or “hidden” agenda. I will repeat that it brings together like-minded countries.
Read in full
🇧🇷🇷🇺🇮🇳🇨🇳🇿🇦 On June 1-2, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov took part in a #BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting in Cape Town chaired by South Africa.
The Ministers held an in-depth discussion on a wide range of current international issues, cooperation at multilateral venues, ways to strengthen the BRICS countries’ strategic partnership, BRICS institution building, and preparations for the 15th BRICS summit scheduled for August 22-24.
The delegation heads spoke out for promoting multilateralism, preserving the UN’s leading role in the maintenance of peace and security, ensuring sustainable development, including through broader use of Africa’s potential and combating climate change, as well as boosting cooperation to attain the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
They reaffirmed their resolve to continue working in the five countries’ key areas of strategic partnership in politics, security, culture and humanitarian ties.
One of their priorities is the further development of interaction on the economic and financial tracks and stable operations of the New Development Bank.
Following the meeting, the Foreign Ministers adopted a joint statement.
The agenda also included an extended Friends of BRICS meeting attended by Foreign Ministers from 12 developing countries: Argentina, Bangladesh, the Comoro Islands, Cuba, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. These contacts have become a good tradition and are helping strengthen interaction between the BRICS nations and like-minded countries.