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📰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 OSCE marked a decisive end to practical cooperation between the East and the West. • 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. Read in full

🎙Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks and answers to media questions following the SCO Foreign Ministers Council meeting(Astana, May 21, 2024) Key talking points: ▪️ At a group meeting of the heads of delegations with President of Kazakhstan and during the Ministerial Council meeting, we expressed our deepest condolences and solidarity with the Iranian people, as well as confidence that Tehran will continue its foreign policy, including with regard to its active participation in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. • The #SCO remains one of the supporting pillars of the multipolar world order. It is well positioned to become a driving force behind transforming Eurasia into a single continental space of peace, stability, mutual trust and progress. • Security can be reliably ensured only by the Eurasian countries themselves, without the intervention of extra-regional forces. We observe such attempts on the part of the United States, the European Union and NATO, which strive to assume responsibility for everything that happens in the region. • We are all aware of the importance of intensifying the work of the SCO, considering its weight and role in Eurasia, and its partners, including the OSCE, the CIS, the EAEU, and ASEAN. • Developing common approaches to ensuring Eurasian security and cooperation by the countries of this continent is a crucial goal. We underscored that the SCO could well catalyse these processes with the involvement of other partners in the region. • The SCO has two observers and 14 dialogue partners. Recently, Laos and Algeria have applied for partner status. We discussed improving the efficiency of interaction with these countries within the SCO Plus format. 🇧🇾 Starting from the July summit, Belarus will become a full-fledged SCO member. President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will take part in all events of the Astana summit without exception. The Belarusian minister attended our discussion. 🇲🇳Mongolia is the obvious next candidate for SCO membership. Read in full

🗓 On May 20-21, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovtook part in the Foreign Ministers Council meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation member-countries. The participants focused on the organisation’s activities in the context of preparations for the meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council meeting in Astana on July 3-4. They also discussed draft documents to be presented for the leaders’ consideration. The participants will reflect their coordinated approaches to the SCO’s further development and current global and regional issues in the Astana Declaration. The admission of Belarus will be an important step towards strengthening the #SCO. The Ministers endorsed the relevant draft decisions of the Heads of State Council. They also coordinated proposals of the SCO Foreign Ministers Council on comprehensive improvement of the organisation’s activities in the context of current geopolitical realities. They adopted draft leadership statements and conceptual documents as a foundation for promoting cooperation in energy, transport, logistics and environmental protection. During a detailed exchange of views on key regional and international issues, the Ministers discussed the situation in the Gaza Strip and the Middle East as a whole, and, in part, settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. They paid special attention to the SCO’s efforts to facilitate stabilization in Afghanistan, considering the importance of this factor for the security of the SCO space. 🤝 FM Lavrov also had a number of bilateral meetings.

🎙 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. Read in full

🗓 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attended the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Foreign Ministers Council, held in Panaji, state of Goa, India, on May 4 and 5. The Foreign Ministers discussed the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the #SCO Heads of State Council (HSC), which is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on July 3 and 4. Among other things, they reviewed draft documents to be submitted to the heads of state. 🌐 The Ministers paid special attention to expanding the organisation’s membership, with Iran expected to be granted full SCO membership at the upcoming summit. Procedures to accept Belarus into the organisation have been launched and are well underway. Bahrain, Kuwait, Myanmar, the Maldives and the UAE are about to join SCO-led cooperation efforts as new dialogue partners. The meeting included a detailed exchange of views on key regional and international matters, during which the participants were unanimous in stating the importance of deeper foreign policy coordination among SCO countries, primarily at the UN. In the context of the combined efforts by SCO member states to counter terrorism, extremism, drug trafficking and cross-border organised crime, the foreign ministers paid special attention to the situation in Afghanistan, considering the urgency of preventing the instability there from spilling over into the SCO space. Read in full

📅 On May 4 and 5, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will be taking part in the meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s Foreign Ministers’ Council (#SCO FMC) in Panaji, Republic of India. 🇷🇺🇮🇳 This meeting will open the final stage in the preparations for the SCO Summit under India’s presidency, which is scheduled to take place in New Delhi on July 3 and 4. <...> Russia praises its Indian partners for their proactive efforts and is committed to effectively enabling them to deliver on their agenda. The Foreign Ministers will focus on preparing the agenda for the upcoming meeting of the SCO Heads of State Council (HSC). Among other things, they will discuss draft documents to be submitted to the heads of state. The Foreign Ministers will exchange views on key regional and international matters with a focus on foreign policy coordination with the aim of strengthening the UN’s central coordinating role in reliably ensuring global security and sustainable economic development. During the SCO FMC meeting, participants will pay special attention to expanding the ranks of the organisation. The Ministers will approve the SCO HSC draft resolution granting membership status to Iran and will discuss the application by Belarus asking if ways can be found to accelerate the procedures to accept it into the organisation. 🤝 Russia stands ready to work closely with all its partners in order to prepare a meaningful agenda and ensure the success of the upcoming SCO Summit in New Delhi, as well as further step-up constructive cooperation within the organisation. Read in full

🎙Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko’s interview to Izvestiya news agency (excerpt): Question: The term "Russia's pivot to the East" appeared many years ago, but it was the last year that showed that "the pivot to the East" is not a matter of choice, but a necessity. What specific steps have been taken by Russia to strengthen ties with our Eastern partners? Answer: From the Foreign Ministry's point of view, we see no reason to say that it is the "pivot to the East." Our country has always been and remains an integral part of Asia. We are consistently working to ensure our interests in this part of the world. Cooperation with the countries of the region is developing in a wide range of areas. These are trade, economic and investment ties, joint infrastructure projects, interaction in the field of energy and food supplies. Russian experience in countering new challenges and threats, including fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, and transnational crime is in demand by our Asian partners. Russia is also a high foreign policy priority for the regional states in terms of strengthening their defense potentials. Humanitarian aspects - educational exchanges, tourism, healthcare are top of the Russian-Asian cooperation agenda. The established healthcare interaction was widely used during the pandemic, but relevant work has been going on for many years in the interest of joining forces to counter the spread of infectious diseases. We have always advocated and continue to advocate for the preservation and strengthening of regional cultural diversity, the unique traditional way of life and identity of the peoples of Asia. We are building up cooperation through the multilateral mechanisms operating here. The backbone element of the regional architecture is the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Relations with #ASEAN are in their fourth decade, and next year it will be 5 years since they reached the level of strategic partnership. Russia is an active participant of such ASEAN-led formats as the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN Regional Forum, the ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting-Plus. Thanks to this determined work with the region, the necessary basis has been created, which makes it possible to further build up our multifaceted ties in Asia. This applies primarily to the business sector, which is now being actively reoriented from the Western direction. "Pivot to the East" is not a forced move or, as you say, the need to actively work in Asia that has arisen since 2022. The fact is that until recently mass media paid less attention to the Asian track of our foreign policy compared to the Western one. Question: What other significant "footholds" does Russia have in the vast region of Asia besides China? Answer: One of the important regions for us is the Southeast Asia, where we interact both with countries on a bilateral basis and with #ASEAN as a whole. We are developing multifaceted cooperation with India. Broad cooperation programs are being implemented with Mongolia, including in a trilateral format with China. We are strengthening ties with the countries of the Indian Ocean region, particularly since Russia acquired the status of a dialogue partner of such a large regional platform as IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) last year. And of course, the key and even systemic driver of growth is the expanding and consolidating cooperation space of the #SCO.

🎙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. Read in full

🎙Statement by FM Sergey Lavrov during the UNSC meeting on multilateral cooperation in the interest of a more just, democratic and sustainable world order 📍 New York, July 16, 2024 💬 Today, the very foundations of the international legal order - strategic stability and the UN-centric system of international politics - are put to the test. We won’t be able to resolve the mounting conflicts unless we understand their root causes and restore faith in our ability to join forces for the common good and justice for all. Let’s face it: not all countries represented in this chamber recognise the key principle of the UN Charter which is the sovereign equality of all states. Speaking through its presidents, the US has long declared its exceptionalism. This applies to Washington’s attitude towards its allies, whom it demands to be unquestioningly obedient even to the detriment of their national interests. 👉Rule, America! This is the thrust of the notorious “rules-based order” which presents a direct threat to multilateralism and international peace. The most important components of international law - the UN Charter and the resolutions of our Council - are interpreted by the collective West in a perverse and selective manner, depending on the instructions coming from the White House. Key talking points: • Washington’s hegemonistic policy has been the same for decades. Absolutely all schemes of Euro-Atlantic security were based on America’s domination, including the subjugation of Europe and the “containment” of Russia. The main role in this was assigned to NATO, which has ultimately tramped down the European Union that had been created to serve Europeans. The alliance has unceremoniously privatised OSCE bodies in brazen violation of the Helsinki Final Act. • The unrestrained enlargement of NATO, which went on for years contrary to Moscow’s warnings, has also provoked the Ukraine crisis that began with the state coup organised by Washington in February 2014 to seize full control of Ukraine and use the neo-Nazi regime they brought to power to prepare an attack on Russia. • NATO’s military infrastructure is moving into the Pacific with the obvious aim of undermining the ASEAN-centric architecture, which has for many decades been built on the principles of equality, mutual interests and consensus. • Where are the free market attributes that the US and its allies have been telling everyone to follow for so many years? Market economy, fair competition, inviolability of private property, presumption of innocence, freedom of movement of people, goods, capital and services - all of these have been scrapped. • The pivotal element of the reform of the UN should be the reshuffle of the UN Security Council, <...> which clearly has too many representatives of the collective West. A badly needed step is to reach the broadest accord possible on the concrete parameters of the reform, which should increase the representation of Asia, Africa and Latin America. • The personnel policy of the UN Secretariat should be changed as well to eliminate the domination of Western citizens and subjects in the administrative UN bodies. The UN Secretary-General and his staff must faithfully and with no exceptions comply with the principles of impartiality and neutrality. • #BRICS and the #SCO are playing an increasing role in the development of a just multilateral world based on the principles of the UN Charter. Their member states represent different regions and civilisations whose interaction is based on equality, mutual respect, consensus and mutually accepted compromises, which is the golden standard of multilateral cooperation involving great powers. ❗️ The UN will be able to overcome current disagreements and to reach consensus on most issues if everyone, without exception, honours its letter and spirit. “The end of history” has failed to materialise. Let us work together in the interests of launching the history of genuine multilateralism that reflects the entire wealth of cultural and civilisational diversity of the world’s nations.

🛬 Leaders and Heads of Delegations arrive in Kazan to participate in the #BRICS2024 Summit! Footage shows the welcoming ceremonies for🇪🇬President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, 🇲🇷President of Mauritania Mohamed Ahmed Ould Ghazouani,🇱🇦 President of Laos Thongloun Sisoulith,🇮🇷 President of Iran Masoud Pezeshkian,#SCO Secretary General Zhang Ming,🇷🇸 Deputy Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vulin. 📸BRICS Summit Photo Bank