Russian MFA 🇷🇺

🇷🇺🇪🇬📞On May 4, Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Egyptian Expatriates Badr Abdelatty had a telephone conversation at the request of the Egyptian Side. The Foreign Ministers had a detailed discussion of the current situation in the Middle East that resulted from the US-Israeli aggression against Iran. They stressed the need to resume the negotiating process with a view to reaching, as soon as possible, agreements on a long-term and sustainable settlement of the crisis in the Persian Gulf, taking into account the legitimate interests of all countries in the region. The conversation also covered Moscow-Cairo cooperation at the #UN, preparations for the #BRICS Foreign Ministers Meeting to be held on May 14-15 in New Delhi, as well as certain aspects of further developing bilateral Russia-Egypt cooperation. #RussiaEgypt

🎙Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's interview with Indian news portal Firstpost(April 25, 2026) Read in full ❓ Question: Russia plays a huge role in India’s energy security. In light of the growing tensions in West Asia, how do you see Russia’s role in ensuring India’s resilience to global oil price shocks in 2027? 💬Maria Zakharova: Our country is making a weighty contribution to ensuring India’s energy security by supplying hydrocarbons on favourable terms and building the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. The possibility of implementing a project to build a new Russian-designed NPP on Indian territory is under discussion. Other promising options for expanding energy cooperation are also being explored. Russian petroleum has an important place in the structure of bilateral trade, and we plan to expand petroleum exports, which meets the interests of both countries. Russian energy operators make sure that their Indian counterparts’ requests for petroleum shipments are fulfilled as soon as possible. We regard long-term export contracts as the main instrument for protecting our partners from oil price fluctuations caused by global and regional instability. Such agreements make it possible to receive hydrocarbons over the long term on the most favourable terms and at a fixed price. ❓ Question: Russia has been India’s most reliable defence partner for decades. Could you comment on how the two countries ensure uninterrupted defence cooperation and supplies in these turbulent times? 💬Maria Zakharova: Our time-tested military-technical cooperation is comprehensive, based on mutual trust and unaffected by foreign policy fluctuations. The bilateral Intergovernmental Commission on Military and Military-Technical Cooperation and its working groups meet every year. The intensity of military delegation exchanges has been growing year after year. Amid intensifying international competition, Russia intends to continue expanding military-technical cooperation with New Delhi. Supplies of military products across a broad range for all branches of India’s armed forces are carried out within mutually agreed timeframes. We readily share the latest defence technologies with our Indian partners. In India, in particular, the Russian-Indian company BrahMos, which manufactures missile systems, is operating successfully, and serial production of AK-203 assault rifles has been organised at the relevant joint venture. Other key points from the interview: • #RussiaIndia: When building relations with other major centres of power, including the US, our Indian friends always duly take into account the factor of their special and privileged strategic partnership with Russia. • #MiddleEast: The energy route through the Strait of Hormuz functioned uninterrupted until the US-Israeli tandem launched its unprovoked, unlawful and reckless aggressive adventure against Iran. From the very beginning, Russia advocated bringing the conflict back into the political and diplomatic track. We remain ready to assist in resolving this acute international situation. • #BRICS: Over the two decades since its establishment, BRICS has evolved significantly – from an informal dialogue platform into a full-format strategic partnership. Today, the association accounts for a significant share of global GDP, population and natural resources. • #UkrainianCrisis: The goals and objectives of the special military operation set by President Vladimir Putin remain relevant. 👉 A sustainable settlement of the crisis around Ukraine is possible only by addressing its root causes. Ukraine must return to the foundations of its statehood – the non-aligned, neutral, and non-nuclear status.

🇷🇺🇿🇦Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Valentina Matvienkocongratulated Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces of South Africa Refilwe Maria Mtsweni-Tsipane on the occasion of Freedom Day. “On behalf of the Federation Council and on my own behalf, I extend my congratulations on South Africa’s national holiday - Freedom Day. Your country is one of Russia’s most important partners on the African continent,” the message reads. Valentina Matvienko noted that in recent years, political contacts between Russia and South Africa have gained significant momentum, while cooperation in areas such as #BRICS has reached a qualitatively new level. 🤝 The shared commitment to unlocking the full potential of bilateral cooperation shapes the parliamentary dialogue, which serves as an effective mechanism for expanding trade, economic, cultural, and humanitarian ties. She expressed confidence that dialogue between the Federation Council and South Africa’s National Council of Provinces will continue to develop and contribute to joint projects for the benefit of both nations. Valentina Matvienko also wished her counterpart success in public service and prosperity to the people of South Africa, reaffirming her high regard and readiness to welcome her in Russia. #RussiaSouthAfrica

🇺🇳#UNCharterIsOurRules 🌐 International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace was observed on April 24. It was established by UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/73/127 on December 12, 2018, in order to promote the UN values and to reaffirm the belief of our peoples in the purposes and principles enshrined in its Charter: “The International Day constitutes a means to promote the values of the United Nations and to reaffirm the faith of our peoples in the purposes and principles enshrined in its Charter, to reaffirm the importance and relevance of multilateralism and international law and to advance the common goal of lasting and sustained peace through diplomacy.” Russia has consistently supported multilateralism and the leading role of the UN in world affairs, actively participating in efforts to reform and adapt the UN to new international realities. This is especially relevant today, when the UN and other multilateral institutions have come under unprecedented pressure from a small group of states, and the standing of the World Organisation has been noticeably down, including due to the Secretariat refusing to adhere to the equidistance principle. The collective West keeps attempting to subordinate the Organisation to its narrow self-interests and to impose the controversial concept of a rules-based world order to replace international law. 💬 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov(excerpt from a speech on February 11, 2026): At the UN platform, in conjunction with our like-minded partners in the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter, we are working to ensure that the principles enshrined in the UN Charter are observed in their full scope, entirety, and interconnection, rather than selectively, as the West prefers. The UN is going through rough times and is bearing the brunt of profound differences between the world’s leading powers. Nevertheless, the Organisation’s role as a platform for aligning states’ interests is undeniable. According to the Foreign Policy Concept, Russia prioritises restoring the UN’s role as the central coordinating mechanism for aligning the interests of member states. Our country contributes to the formation of a more representative, democratic, fair, and multipolar world order with the central coordinating role of the UN, based on respect for cultural diversity, mutually beneficial and equal cooperation among countries. 📄 Excerpt from the Concept: “The mechanism for shaping universal international legal standards should be based on the free will of sovereign states, and the UN should remain the main venue for progressive development and codification of international law.” Our shared responsibility is to preserve the UN as a model of multilateralism and coordination in global politics. The path to this end lies through joint work, rejection of claims to any form of exclusivity, and respect for the sovereign equality of states. At the same time, an important task includes strengthening the potential of multilateral regional associations and integration entities involving Russia, including enhancing the international role of #BRICS, #SCO, #CIS, #EAEU, #CSTO, #RIC, and other interstate associations and international organisations.

🎙Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks at a meeting of the Supervisory Board and Board of Trustees of Foreign Ministry’s MGIMO University(Moscow, April 23, 2026) 💬 I would like to note MGIMO leadership’s efforts to preserve Russia’s historical and diplomatic heritage. Not long ago, the latest two-volume edition of The History of Diplomacy was published, introducing previously unused archival materials into academic circulation. Projects aimed at popularising the scholarly legacy of the internationally renowned historian and first head of MGIMO’s Department of the History of International Relations Yevgeny Tarle and the first director of MGIMO Ivan Udaltsov deserve the highest praise. 2025 marked the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945. The university’s faculty made an invaluable contribution to preparing materials for a number of books and articles devoted to inextricable link between the outcomes of the Second World War and the modern-day international relations system. ☝️We will continue working to preserve historical memory and to prevent the attempts to distort Russian and world history. On April 19, Russia marked the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the Genocide of the Soviet People for the first time. Russian diplomacy will consistently seek international recognition of the crimes committed by Nazis and their accomplices against Soviet civilians of all ethnic backgrounds as genocide. I am positive that MGIMO’s specialized departments, with their extensive track record in historiographical research and the defence of national interests at the present stage of global development when Nazism, particularly in Europe, is once again rearing its ugly head, will find a niche of their own in this work. Such efforts can seamlessly complement MGIMO’s activities in promoting Russian education and the Russian language internationally, as well as strengthening mutual understanding and trust between nations, primarily in the near abroad. The opening in 2025 of MGIMO's branch in Kazakhstan came as an important milestone in this regard with 100 undergraduate and master’s students studying at MGIMO-Astana. 🤝MGIMO’s push to diversify ties with its partner universities in Asia, Africa, and Latin America deserves every support it can get. The signing of a memorandum of understanding between MGIMO and Hanoi State University in May 2025 in the presence of Russia’s and Vietnam’s top leaders was a signature event. We support MGIMO’s plans to launch its first academic programme at its new Hanoi branch in 2025. We also welcome the efforts to gradually resume partner programmes leading to dual degrees. The fact that such work is underway primarily with the university’s partners from the #GlobalMajority countries fully reflects current geopolitical realities. Importantly, universities from China, our great eastern neighbour, with which our relations continue to strengthen across all areas, are among MGIMO’s partners. Prospects are good for establishing similar arrangements with our friends from the #BRICS countries.

🇷🇺🇮🇳 On April 23, on the sidelines of the #BRICS consultations of high representatives on the Middle East and North Africa taking place in New Delhi, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Georgy Borisenkoheld meetings with Dr Neena Malhotra, Secretary (South), India's Ministry of External Affairs, and Sripriya Ranganathan, Secretary (CPV & OIA),India's Ministry of External Affairs. During an in-depth exchange of views, particular attention was given to the situation in the Gulf, as well as developments across the Middle East and North Africa. The Sides underscored the need to stabilise the situation across this vast region as a whole and to resolve all differences by political and diplomatic means. They agreedto continue close coordination between Moscow and New Delhi on current regional issues. #RussiaIndia#DruzhbaDosti

🗓On April 15, Director of the Department of International Organisations of the Russian Foreign Ministry Kirill Logvinov held a briefing for representatives of the embassies of #BRICS member states and partner countries on the upcoming election of the UN Secretary-General. Kirill Logvinov outlined the criteria Russia applies to candidates for the post of the chief administrative officer of the United Nations. Particular emphasis was placed on the importance of ensuring that the future Secretary-General strictly observe the principles of the UN Charter in their entirety and interconnection, pursue an impartial course, promote a unifying agenda, and counter the dominance of Western officials within the Secretariat. ❗️Otherwise, the UN will be unable to fully restore its effectiveness and standing. Diplomats from BRICS member states and partner countries confirmed their readiness for close coordination during the upcoming UN Secretary-General election in order to ensure due regard for the legitimate interests of the countries of the Global South and East. 🤝 It was agreed thatthe “interactive dialogues” with candidates for the post of UN Secretary-General, due to begin at the UN General Assembly on April 21, will provide member states with a good opportunity to voice their expectations.

🇷🇺🇨🇳On April 14-15, Foreign Minister of Russia Sergey Lavrov paid an official visit to China. During the visit, he was received by President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping and held substantive talks with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi. 📹Statement and answers to media questions by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov following his visit to China President Xi welcomed the Russian Foreign Minister's visit and spoke highly of the unprecedented level of bilateral relations, highlighting the significant results achieved over 30 years of strategic cooperation, grounded in the Treaty of Good-Neighbourliness, Friendship and Cooperation of July 16, 2001, which has successfully guided ties between the two countries for a quarter of a century. Sergey Lavrov conveyed warm greetings and best wishes to Xi Jinping from President Vladimir Putin, who is preparing to pay an official visit to China in the first half of the year. Russia’s Foreign Minister underscored the guiding role of leader-level diplomacy in steadily advancing Russia-China ties across all areas. During his talks with Wang Yi, Sergey Lavrov held an in-depth exchange of views on a broad range of bilateral and international issues of mutual interest. ☝️Particular attention was given to pressing international issues, including the situation around Iran, the Ukraine crisis and developments in Latin America. The Sides emphasiszed the importance of further strengthening coordination between Moscow and Beijing on the international stage, including at the #UN and its Security Council, the #SCO, #BRICS, #APEC, the #G20 and other multilateral platforms. The Ministers also touched upon issues related to maintaining peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region and discussed cooperation in the post-Soviet space. 🤝 The talks were held in the friendly, trusting and constructive atmosphere that has come to define Russia-China relations. #RussiaChina

🎙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

🇷🇺🇮🇩On April 13, President of Russia Vladimir Putin and President of Indonesia Prabowo Subianto held talks at the Kremlin. The agenda focused on the current state and prospects for deepening the Russia-Indonesia strategic partnership, as well as pressing international and regional issues. 💬Vladimir Putin: Dear friend, I am very pleased that our contacts are regular in nature and underscore the special character of our relations. We recently signed a declaration to that effect, and this special character is indeed being filled with concrete substance. The strategic nature of Russia-Indonesia relations is evident first and foremost, of course, in the economic sphere. Last year, our trade turnover grew by 12.5%. At the beginning of 2026, there was unfortunately some slowdown, but our intergovernmental commission is working actively. I hope that your visit will help us find the necessary solutions so that the situation remains stable and, by the end of 2026, shows continued growth. Our colleagues on both Sides, as well as the two of us personally, have repeatedly highlighted the most promising areas of cooperation – energy, space, agriculture, industrial cooperation and pharmaceuticals. We also attach great importance to developing humanitarian ties, including in culture and education. And, of course, our Foreign Ministries are working intensively and in close contact with each other across all international platforms. Indonesia has become a full member of #BRICS, which also opens up another avenue for cooperation, just as relations between Indonesia and the Eurasian Economic Union do. *** I believe your visit is especially timely – both in light of the developments taking place in the world and from the standpoint of strengthening and intensifying our bilateral ties. Once again, thank you for being here in Moscow today. It is especially meaningful to receive Easter greetings from the Head of State of the country with the world’s largest Muslim population. Russia is a multi-confessional nation, and together with our brothers and sisters of other faiths – including Muslims – we also mark their holidays. #RussiaIndonesia

#Announcement 🇷🇺🇨🇳 On April 14-15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will pay an official visit to the People’s Republic of China, as part of which he is scheduled to hold talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. The Foreign Ministers will discuss a broad range of issues related to bilateral cooperation, prospects for contacts at various levels, and coordination on the international stage, with a focus on joint work within the #UN, #BRICS, the #SCO, the #G20, #APEC and other multilateral mechanisms and forums. A substantive exchange of views is also expected on a number of pressing international and regional issues, including the Ukrainian crisis and the situation in the Middle East. #RussiaChina

🇷🇺🇹🇲April 8 marks 3️⃣4️⃣ years of diplomatic relations between Russia and Turkmenistan. The dialogue between Moscow and Ashgabat, which was given the status of a strategic partnership in 2017, is intense and based on the solid foundation of shared history, good-neighbourliness, mutual trust and respect for each other’s interests. The special nature of bilateral cooperation is enshrined in the Declaration on Deepening Strategic Partnership, which the Presidents of Russia and Turkmenistan signed in Moscow in the summer of 2022. The Document serves as a cornerstone for deepening ties across a broad range of areas including trade, energy, transport, digital technologies, education, culture, and information and biological security. Our countries maintain political dialogue at the high and highest levels, and exchange views on international and regional issues. Russia respects Turkmenistan’s neutral status, which is a vital factor of global stability and geopolitical balance. In 2025, Ashgabat marked the 3️⃣0️⃣th anniversary of its permanent neutrality, which has been recognised three times by the #UNGA resolutions. 🤝 On June 24-25, 2025, Russia's Foreign Minister SergeyLavrovpaid an official visit to Turkmenistan, where he was received by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov and held substantive talks with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov. The negotiations were followed by the the signing of the Programme for Cooperation between Foreign Ministries of Russia and Turkmenistan for 2025-2026. 🎙 Excerpt from SergeyLavrov’s remarks and answers to questions during a meeting with employees of the Foreign Ministry of Turkmenistan and faculty and students of the Institute of International Relations (Ashgabat, June 25, 2025): Russia-Turkmenistan cooperation can serve as a compelling example of relations between countries in a #MultipolarWorld, where the global balance continues to shift due to the strengthening of power centres beyond the historical West. <...> ✍️ From the article by Russian Ambassador to Turkmenistan IvanVolynkin"Pursuing the Deepening Strategic Partnership",published in the newspaper Neutral Turkmenistan, for the 3️⃣4️⃣th anniversary of diplomatic relations between our countries (April 8, 2026): Moscow highly appreciates Ashgabat’s consistent diplomatic efforts to promote peace and stability in Central Asia and the Caspian region. One can say with certainty that Turkmenistan has a solid reputation as a respected platform for international meetings and talks that result in the adoption of important strategic initiatives. 📈 Russia is a leading trade and economic partner ofTurkmenistan.Over the past three years, Russia delivered to Turkmenistan goods and products worth of over $1.5 billion. Russian corporations, such as Gazprom, Tatneft, KAMAZ, the Vozrozhdenie Design and ConstructionGroup, and other economic entities, operate successfully in Turkmenistan. Our countries maintain close coordination across the main international and regional platforms, including the #CIS, the #UN, the Caspian Five, and in the Central Asia-Russia format. Moscow welcomes Ashgabat’s participation in the events held by #BRICS. 🌟 In Turkmenistan, our common history and the sacred memory of the heroism of our people during #WWII, is cherished. After Nazi Germany treacherously attacked our Motherland in 1941, 3'000 volunteers from the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic joined the Red Army, with hundreds of thousands fighting against Nazi invaders during the Great Patriotic War. In May 2025, our countries jointly celebrated the 8️⃣0️⃣th anniversary of the Great Victory. Russia appreciated the fact that President of Turkmenistan Serdar Berdimuhamedov attended the Victory Parade on Red Square in Moscow. An army unit from Turkmenistan took part in the parade to respect the memory of our combat brotherhood in #WW2. 🎉 We extend our cordial congratulations to our friends and colleagues in Turkmenistan on our shared anniversary, wish them prosperity and success! #RussiaTurkmenistan