🇷🇺🇲🇹 Russian Embassy in Malta

@RusEmbMalta Press Release Russia-China Talks: Key Outcomes of Sergey Lavrov’s Visit to Beijing (April 14–15, 2026) On April 14–15, 2026, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov paid an official visit to the People’s Republic of China. In Beijing, he was received by President Xi Jinping and held talks with Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi. Strategic Partnership at a Historic High President Xi Jinping spoke highly of the unprecedented level of bilateral relations, built over more than three decades and anchored in the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation (July 16, 2001), which has consistently guided Russia–China ties. Sergey Lavrov conveyed warm greetings from Vladimir Putin and emphasised the central role of leader-level diplomacy in ensuring steady and comprehensive development of bilateral cooperation. Broad International Agenda During talks with Wang Yi, the sides conducted an in-depth exchange on key global and regional issues, including: • the situation around Iran • the Ukraine crisis • developments in Latin America Particular emphasis was placed on strengthening coordination between Moscow and Beijing within major multilateral platforms: #UN#UNSC#SCO#BRICS#APEC#G20 The ministers also addressed issues of peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as cooperation in the post-Soviet space. The discussions were held in a friendly, trusting and constructive atmosphere, reflecting the maturity of Russia–China relations. Key Messages from Minister Lavrov: Following the visit, Sergey Lavrov outlined a number of strategic assessments: • Russia and China oppose attempts by the West to preserve or “renew” global dominance rooted in historical practices of control and unequal governance • Eurasia is emerging as a central arena of global competition, amid NATO expansion efforts and increasing militarisation within the EU • Russia–China relations are “unshakable in the face of any storm” and contribute to strengthening a more balanced international system based on the United Nations Charter • Russia is ready to help address global energy and supply challenges on the basis of equal and mutually beneficial cooperation • Escalation in the Middle East must be assessed through root causes, including external actions that have contributed to rising tensions around Iran • The West continues to apply international law selectively, as illustrated by contrasting approaches to Kosovo and other regions • Russia supports inclusive infrastructure and connectivity projects, including those aligned with China’s Belt and Road Initiative • Dialogue, rather than coercion, remains the only sustainable basis for resolving international disputes Summary The visit confirmed the depth and resilience of the Russia–China comprehensive partnership, their shared commitment to a multipolar world order, and readiness to further enhance coordination across key international platforms. Statement and answers to media questions by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov following his visit to China #RussiaChina#ForeignPolicy

🎙Opening remarks by Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov during talks with President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping: 📍April 15, 2026, Beijing 💬Sergey Lavrov: Mr President, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for your warm words addressed to us and for this meeting. It underscores your personal attention to the development of mutually beneficial strategic relations with Russia, as well as to the agenda that will be discussed at the next summit during the upcoming visit of President Vladimir Putin to China. Yesterday, my colleague and friend Wang Yi and I held very detailed discussions on preparations for this major upcoming visit. Thanks to the diplomacy of the two Leaders – yourself and Vladimir Putin – our relations continue to demonstrate a high degree of resilience amid the upheavalsthat have engulfed the modern world both economically and geopolitically. Regrettably, these contradictions are increasingly taking on a military dimension. Against this backdrop, Russia-China relations, which serve as a stabilizing factor in international affairs, are becoming ever more significant for the rest of the world, for the Global Majority, which seeks not problems or turbulence, but calm conditions for sustainable long-term development. It is in this context that we held detailed discussions and will brief you today on the outcome of our exchange. Bilateral relations are on the rise in trade, investment, humanitarian affairs, culture and across all other areas. We also discussed regional and international issues, both from the standpoint of future Russia-China coordination on the bilateral track and in terms of our joint work at the #UN, the UN Security Council, the #SCO, #BRICS, the #G20 and #APEC. As we agreed yesterday,we now haverobust roadmaps for further progress across all tracks identified by you and President Vladimir Putin for the period ahead. #RussiaChina

@RusEmbMalta Press Release 🇷🇺President Vladimir Putin’s Address at the Valdai International Discussion Club 🗓 Sochi, October 2, 2025 At the 22nd Valdai Club meeting, President Vladimir Putin outlined his vision of the new multipolar world order and shared Russia’s stance on key global issues. 🌍Key points from President Putin’s speech: 🔹 The rise of multipolarity – the world today is more open, creative, and democratic, offering opportunities for a wide range of countries and cultures. 🔹Western dominance is over – attempts to impose a single hierarchy with the West “at the top” have failed. 🔹International balance is impossible without Russia – those who tried to “erase” Russia now see the futility of such efforts. 🔹Collective effort is essential – harmony and balance in the new world order can only be achieved through genuine consensus. “Through all its trials, Russia has proved one thing: it was, is, and always will be.” – Vladimir Putin _________________________________ Excerpts from Q&A session: ⚖️Degradation of Western institutions – organisations like the OSCE lost their purpose, turning into platforms for political pressure. 🤝Emergence of new platforms – structures such as #SCO and #BRICS were created to ensure real consensus, not dictate. NATO’s direct involvement – Western instructors, intelligence and weapons are openly steering Ukraine’s war effort, but despite this, Russia advances with confidence. 📉Ukraine’s losses – in September alone, Ukraine lost 44,700 troops, with manpower depletion outpacing mobilisation. 📜Historical truth – the West distorts history by equating Stalin and Hitler, erasing the outcomes of the Nuremberg Trials, and destroying monuments to Soviet soldiers. ❗Gaza tragedy – “Gaza has become the largest children’s cemetery in the world,” quoting UN Secretary-General António Guterres. _________________________________ Vladimir Putin emphasised: • The multipolar world is already here. • Western hegemony is history. • Russia will always defend its sovereignty and its people. • Global harmony can only be achieved through joint, common effort. _________________________________ #Russia#ValdaiClub#MultipolarWorld#Geopolitics#BRICS

@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. Read in full.

@RusEmbMalta Press release: 🌍New Global Security Architecture Discussed in Moscow🇷🇺 On May 27-29, Moscow hosted the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues, bringing together delegations from 105 countries – including members of #BRICS, #SCO, #ASEAN, #CIS, the African Union, and others. 🔹 In a video address, President Vladimir Putin welcomed the participants and emphasized the rising role of the Global South and East, which he called the "global majority". He stressed the need for a new, equal and indivisible security system – one where “no country strengthens its security at the expense of others.” 🔹Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov underlined the historic momentum behind multipolarity and the growing influence of new centers of power in Eurasia, Africa and Latin America. He highlighted Russia–China ties and called BRICS a model for constructive global cooperation across cultures and continents. 🔹Security Council Secretary Sergey Shoigu noted the forum’s success as proof that Russia is not isolated – but rather a key platform for dialogue. He stressed the urgency of tackling information security and welcomed deepening interest in BRICS cooperation. 🗣 Over 80 bilateral meetings took place, along with multilateral sessions in BRICS, SCO, CIS and Russia–ASEAN formats. Delegates also visited exhibitions on: – 🇷🇺 Russia’s scientific and cultural achievements – 🕊 The 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War – ⚠ Crimes of the Kiev regime during the special military operation 📌 The forum confirmed one thing clearly: the world is changing, and more and more countries are ready to work together – for a fairer, more secure future. #Russia#SecurityForum#GlobalSouth#MultipolarWorld#EqualSecurity#BRICS#ASEAN#SCO#Africa#Victory80

🎙 FM Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the reception on Africa Day (Moscow, May 26, 2025) 💬 Sergey Lavrov: Each year in May, we traditionally convene at the Foreign Ministry Mansion to mark Africa Day — a commemoration that holds profound significance not only for Africans but for all humanity. This date symbolises the surmounting of a colonial past and embodies the unwavering resolve of African peoples in their quest for freedom and justice. <...> This year is marked by the 80th Anniversary of the end of the Great Patriotic War and the Second World War, as well as the 65th Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples. This is emphasised in the message from President of Russia Vladimir Putin. These epoch-making events are closely interconnected. On May 10, 1945, in a congratulatory telegram to the head of the Soviet government, Joseph Stalin, Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia remarked: “This victory, bringing us the end of the most savage tyranny the world has ever known, has ushered in the threshold of an era of greater happiness and justice for all peoples threatened with annihilation.” ☝️We remember and honour the hundreds of thousands of Africans who fought in the armies of the anti-Hitler coalition, hastening Victory. In turn, the defeat of Nazism galvanised the national liberation movement, accelerating the collapse of the colonial system. Our nation made an immense contribution to the decolonisation process, grounded in one of the UN Charter’s key principles — the right of nations to self-determination. For many years, we selflessly supported Africans in their struggle for freedom and independence, consistently aiding the formation of young states and their comprehensive socio-economic development. Today, Russia continues to foster the strengthening of Africa’s position as a unique and influential centre of global development. In particular, we support African aspirations to secure a permanent ‘seat’ within the UN Security Council. We will further assist interested African nations in enhancing their defence capabilities, countering terrorism, and ensuring food and energy security. In recent years, the African continent, asserting itself as one of the pillars of a sustainable multipolar world order, has achieved impressive results. Such progress has largely been made possible by the collective will of Africans to address shared challenges and pursue common goals. We welcome the dynamic development of integration processes, which strengthen solidarity across the continent and amplifyitsvoice. The African Union plays a pivotal role in this regard. <...> 🤝Russia remains a reliable and steadfast partner to African nations in strengthening their sovereignty, the foremost threat to which remains persistent neocolonial practices. <...> One of the most dynamic areas of Russian-African cooperation remains education. Today, more than 32,000 African students are enrolled in our universities. Our collaboration with the African Union and other multilateral structures on the continent is expanding actively. We see significant potential in fostering their ties with Eurasian integration bodies the #EAEU, #CSTO, and #SCO. Naturally, we wholeheartedly support the development of cooperative relations between the African Union and #BRICS. Our commitment to deepening a multifaceted strategic partnership with Africa is reflected in the establishment of a new structural unit within the Russian Foreign Ministry — the Department of Partnership with Africa. On the agenda is the preparation of the second ministerial conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, to be held this year in an African country. There is no doubt that its outcomes will contribute to the substantive groundwork for the third Russia-Africa Summit, planned for 2026 — also on the African continent. <...> I would like to once again extend my congratulations on this occasion and wish the peoples of Africa and all those present peace, health, and prosperity. Read in full #RussiaAfrica

@RusEmbMalta: 🇷🇺🛡️13th International Security Meeting to Be Held in Moscow 📅 On May 27–29, 2025, Moscow will host the 13th International Meeting of High Representatives for Security Issues under the chairmanship of Secretary of the Russian Security Council Sergey Shoigu. 🌍 More than 150 countries from the Global South and East have been invited to participate, along with representatives of the #CIS, #CSTO, #EAEU, #SCO, and over 20 international organizations. 🗂️ The meeting will focus on strengthening international security cooperation. Discussions will cover a broad range of challenges, including terrorism, extremism, transnational crime, drug trafficking, and emerging threats. 🧭 Since 2010, this annual platform has brought together senior security officials to build trust, share expertise, and coordinate efforts on pressing global security issues. 📌 Media accreditation is open until May 20, 2025. #Shoigu#SecurityCouncil#InternationalMeeting#Moscow2025#GlobalSecurity#Counterterrorism#Multilateralism#CIS#SCO#BRICS#CSTO#EAEU#GlobalSouth

🎙 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. Read in full

🎙 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. Read in full

#Announcement 🗓The 31st OSCE Ministerial Council meeting (Ministerial Council) will be held in Valletta, Republic of Malta, on December 5-6, with the participation of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. <...> During the forthcoming Ministerial Council meeting, the Russian delegation will focus on assessing the possibility of overcoming the organisation’s crisis on the eve of its 50th anniversary. The Russian delegation looks forward to having a candid discussion of the backlog of issues and ways to resolve them under fundamentally new conditions, while respecting the interests of all participating states free from the teacher-disciple approach, and so on. ☝️Special attention will be brought to the failure to issue visas to members of the Russian delegation who planned to attend various OSCE events, including the upcoming Ministerial Council meeting. Cancelling, right before the event, a visa that had been earlier issued by the Maltese Chairpersonship to Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, allegedly "due to circumstances beyond their control," was unprecedented. ❗️The current institutional crisis within the OSCE was triggered by the destructive actions of a number of Western countries that are using this platform to promote their own agenda in disregard of the fundamental principles underlying the Organisation’s functioning, which must be abided by all participating states regardless of their membership in other international entities. Since 2022, the Ukrainianisation of the OSCE’s agenda has paralysed its activities across the three security dimensions, namely, political and military, economic and environmental, and humanitarian. <...> 🇷🇺 At the meetings of the OSCE’s decision-making bodies - the Permanent Council and the Forum for Security Cooperation - Russian representatives have been regularly raising the most pressing OSCE-related issues, such as combatting terrorism and drug trafficking, protecting traditional values, countering manifestations of neo-fascism and neo-Nazism, preventing the falsification of history, protecting the rights of ethnic minorities and believers, and ensuring access to information. The participating states must unite their efforts in these areas. The Russian Federation regularly provides objective updates to the participating states’ delegations about the war crimes committed by the Kiev regime, the ongoing all-out campaign in Ukraine to cancel the Russian language and Russian culture, the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and reprisals against the national media. <...> The OSCE’s specific executive bodies, such as the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM), and the Representative on Freedom of the Media, continue to see major complaints coming their way. These institutions have repeatedly manifested their political bias. The ODIHR stands out distinctly in this context, as it is known for conducting openly biased monitoring of election processes in the countries that lie “east of Vienna” and making advance preparations for “anticipated” conclusions on their outcomes. The Representative on Freedom of the Media is also known for practicing double standards and conspicuous silence when it comes to unfair treatment of non-Western media within the Organisation’s space. Russia does not see the HCNM paying proper attention to matters of oppressing ethnic minorities. 👉 Given the current state of the OSCE, we can hardly talk about it playing any meaningful role amid the ongoing profound reformatting of the world. The organisation would undoubtedly benefit from close cooperation with formats such as the #SCO, #BRICS and the #CIS, which are operating based on fundamentally new approaches. Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold bilateral meetings with foreign ministers from a number of countries on the sidelines of the Ministerial Council in Valletta. Read in full

🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the International Symposium 'Inventing the Future' (Moscow, November 4, 2024) Key talking points: • The global balance of power is undergoing transformative changes, driven by the objective trends in the world economy where the influence of the states of the Global South and the Global East, and indeed the World Majority, is growing. • The economic resurgence enables an increasing number of non-Western nations to consistently bolster their sovereignty and to pursue a nationally oriented agenda in both foreign and domestic policy. • Following the start of the special military operation in Ukraine, Washington and its allies, as part of the hybrid war they are waging, have launched an aggressive sanctions campaign against Russia. In the past decade, more than 21,000 sanctions have been imposed on our country across various domains, including economy, finance, trade, investment, media, culture, sport, and broadly, people-to-people contacts. These neo-colonial practices of the West primarily impact the developing countries of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. • The adverse effect of this campaign against the undesired is that the West is undermining itself. <...> Western capitals have conveniently forgotten principles such as fair competition, the inviolability of property, the presumption of innocence, among others. • When economic pressure fails to sway truly sovereign nations, the West, led by the United States, resorts to threats, blackmail, and even the use of force. • It is sad to state that the ruling elites in many European countries evidently see no future for themselves in a multipolar world and are looking instead to the overseas hegemon to save them. • The West is never satisfied with what they have. The war they started against Russia in Europe wasn’t enough. • NATO now plans to conduct “defensive” operations in the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait which lie thousands of miles away from its shores. Any right-minded observer knows that this path will lead nowhere. • The obsession [of the West] with controlling absolutely everything has led to a rash of tragedies in the Middle East. • This year, yet another independent UN member — Yemen — came under an aggression of the West [Anglo-Saxons]. The Syrian Arab Republic is still reeling from the shock of American interference. The United States has effectively blocked all multilateral mechanisms aimed at promoting the Palestinian-Israeli settlement. • The serious challenges facing the world call for a united effort based on equality, rather than submission to those who seek global dominance. • Establishing direct contacts and horizontal ties among all regional integration entities and with #BRICS which already includes the key countries that are regional leaders, is a significant step towards multipolarity. • Another area of focus is the de-dollarisation of the international financial and economic system. I wish to remind you that the share of national currencies in Russia's transactions with the #SCO and #EAEU countries has surpassed 90%, and with the BRICS nations, we are approaching 65%. This figure continues to grow. 🇺🇳 People often ask: what will multipolarity rely on in terms of international legal foundation? There’s no need to look for new principles; they are all there in the UN Charter 👉#UNCharterIsOurRules. The problem is that our Western partners have never fully respected these principles. Read in full

🎙Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview to Newsweek magazine (October 7, 2024) ❓Question: As the Ukraine conflict continues, how different is Russia's position than in 2022 and how are the costs of conflict being weighed against the progress made toward strategic objectives? 💬Sergey Lavrov: Our position is widely known and remains unchanged. Russia is open to a politico-diplomatic settlement that should remove the root causes of the crisis. It should aim to end the conflict rather than achieve a ceasefire. The West should stop supplying weapons, and Kiev should end the hostilities. 👉Ukraine should return to its neutral, non-bloc and non-nuclear status, protect the Russian language, and respect the rights and freedoms of its citizens. <...> On 14 June, Russian President Vladimir Putinlisted prerequisites for the settlement as follows: complete AFU withdrawal from the DPR, LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson Oblasts; recognition of territorial realities as enshrined in the Russian Constitution; neutral, non-bloc, non-nuclear status for Ukraine; its demilitarization and denazification; securing the rights, freedoms and interests of Russian-speaking citizens; and removal of all sanctions against Russia. Kiev responded to this statement by an armed incursion into the Kursk Oblast on 6 August. Its patrons – the US and other NATO countries – seek to inflict a «strategic defeat» on Russia. Under the circumstances, we have no choice but to continue our special military operation until the threats posed by Ukraine are removed. <...> ❓Question: How likely do you think it is that a military or diplomatic solution can be achieved, or do you see a greater risk of the conflict spiraling into something even larger with Ukrainian forces receiving more advanced NATO weaponry and entering Russian territory? 💬Sergey Lavrov: Making guesses is not my job. What I want to say is that we have been trying to extinguish this crisis for more than a decade, yet each time we put to paper agreements that suite everyone, Kiev and its masters would backpedal. <...> At present, as far as we can see, restoring peace is not part of our adversary's plan. Zelensky has not revoked his decree banning negotiations with Moscow. Washington and its NATO allies provide political, military and financial support to Kiev so that the war would go on. They are discussing authorizing the AFU to use Western long-range missiles to strike deep into Russian territory. "Playing with fire" in this way may lead to dangerous consequences. As stated by President Putin, we will take adequate decisions based on our understanding of the threats posed by the West. It is up to you to make conclusions. ❓Question:What concrete plans does Russia have in line with its strategic partnerships with China and other powers to achieve changes in the current world order and how do you expect these ambitions to play out in areas of intense competition and conflict, including the Middle East? 💬Sergey Lavrov: What we have in mind is that the world order needs be adjusted to the current realities. Today the world is living through the "multipolar moment". Shifting towards the multi-polar world order is a natural part of power rebalancing, which reflects objective changes in the world economy, finance and geopolitics. The West waited longer than the others, yet it has also started to realize that this process is irreversible. <...> Multipolarity manifests itself in the increasing role of regional associations, such as the #EAEU, #SCO, #ASEAN, #AfricanUnion, #CELAC and others. #BRICS has become a model of multilateral diplomacy. The #UN should remain a forum for aligning the interests of all the countries. Read in full