Russian MFA 🇷🇺

🇺🇳#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.

#HistoryOfDiplomacy 🇺🇳On April 25, 1945, the San Francisco Conference officially commenced – one of the key diplomatic events of the 20th century, which laid the foundations for the post-war world order and the modern system of international relations. In the spring of 1945, the war against the Nazis in Europe was nearing its end, #Victory was within grasp. The Red Army was already fighting on the approaches to Berlin, crushing the last pockets of resistance by Hitler’s fanatics, while Allied forces were pressing the enemy from the west. Only a few weeks remained before the final defeat of Nazi Germany and its satellites. A fundamental question arose: would the USSR, the US and the UK be able to preserve the spirit of allied cooperation and continue coordinated work on key international issues after #WWII? At the initiative of Moscow,Washington, London, and Beijing, it was decided to convene a conference tasked with laying the groundwork for a future universal international organisation and agreeing on the main provisions of its Charter. On March 5, 1945, invitations were sent to 42 states that had signed the Declaration by United Nations on January 1, 1942. During the Conference, they were joined by representatives of another eight countries that had entered the war against Germany and Japan. *** Among the Heads of delegations: 🇷🇺Vyacheslav Molotov(People’s Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the USSR) → Andrey Gromyko (Soviet Ambassador to the US) 🇺🇸Edward Stettinius (US Secretary of State) 🇬🇧Anthony Eden (British Foreign Secretary) → the Earl of Halifax (British Ambassador to the US) and many others. *** The San Francisco Conference was record-breaking in scale for international forums of the time: 282 delegates, over 1,500 experts and advisers – around 3,500 participants in total. Its work was also followed by more than 2,500 representatives of the press, radio and television, as well as observers from public organisations. Unlike pre-war international conferences, the work in San Francisco was officially conducted in five languages: English, French, Russian, Chinese and Spanish. This marked the recognition of Russian as one of the key languages of international diplomacy. From May 2 to June 20, 1945, the working committees prepared the text of the UN Charter. Work on it was divided among four commissions: • The first dealt with the general purposes and principles of the Organisation, membership, the Secretariat and the procedure for amending the Charter; • The second discussed the powers of the General Assembly; • The third worked through provisions concerning the UN Security Council; • The fourth focused on the draft Statute of the International Court of Justice. The work proceeded on the basis of proposals prepared at the Dumbarton Oaks Conference in 1944. Soviet diplomacy succeeded in defending a number of fundamental positions: ✔️ incorporating provisions into the UN Charter on the need to settle and resolve international disputes by peaceful means; ✔️ enshrining in the Charter the voting procedure in the UN Security Council, agreed earlier at the Yalta Conference; ✔️ including the Belorussian and Ukrainian SSRs among the founding members of the UN. The culmination of the San Francisco Conference – after lengthy debates and the overcoming of numerous differences – came on June 26, 1945, with the solemn signing of two historic documents: the Charter of the United Nations and the Statute of the International Court of Justice. 🌐 Thus, the legal and institutional foundations of the United Nations were established. The post-war world still faced new challenges – the confrontation of irreconcilable ideologies and superpowers that had only recently been Allies, the arms race and the threat of the use of nuclear weapons. Yet it was in the spring of 1945, on the shores of San Francisco, that the UN was born as a space for diplomacy, negotiations and the search for mutually beneficial solutions in the interests of all humanity. #UNCharterIsOurRules

🎙Opening remarks by Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a meeting with leaders of non-profit organisations(Moscow, April 24, 2026) Read the remarks in full 💬 Sergey Lavrov: President Putin repeatedly underscored that the world had entered an era of unprecedented change. Similar assessments have been made publicly by President of the People’s Republic of China Xi Jinping. As President Putin has noted, in these turbulent circumstances, Russia, due to its history, geography, and civilisational identity, is playing a central role in these processes. The collective West policy is posing the main threat to international peace and security. <...> Their strategic goal, we have no doubt about it, remains the same and is to dominate by any means, <...> and to preserve their hegemony for as long as possible, while containing the growth of new global centres and competitors in the #WorldMajority countries in #Asia, #Africa, and #LatinAmerica. <...> In order to preserve their hegemony and to achieve these unseemly goals, illegal sanctions, plunder, the theft of other countries’ sovereign assets, blackmail, threats and, of course, the use of military force are employed, as we saw in Venezuela and now in Iran. *** 👉 The West’s decades-long expansion into the Eurasiancontinent, primarily the regions where Russia has historically had strong influence and legitimate traditional interests is another major factor of global destabilisation. This persistent push, which in recent years has openly manifested itself in the slogan of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia, reflects a long-standing, indeed, as it now turns out, centuries-long strategy. ❗️ A war against us has been openly declared. The Kiev regime is being used as the tip of the spear. The Kiev regime and the Ukrainian state are being openly taken advantage of as a geopolitical battering ram. Some rather outspoken individuals, I believe in the Belgian General Staff, publicly stated that they were getting ready for war with Russia and that Ukraine was helping them buy time. As they say, they couldn’t be clearer. The West — above all the international bureaucracy in Brussels (both EU and NATO, which are increasingly becoming one), as well as Berlin, Paris, and, of course, London — are attempting to demonise everything Russianand openly speak about gearing up for war with us in the foreseeable future. Despite the difficult circumstances, we will continue to pursue our foreign policy and to defend our vital national interests, creating the most favourable foreing environment for our country’s sustainable development as a multi-ethnic sovereign state strengthening our sovereignty in all areas. Ourpriorities include promoting equal and mutually beneficial partnerships with all those willing to cooperate on an equal footing, based on the universally recognised principles of the UN Charter — #UNCharterIsOurRules. <...> We continue to believe — strength lies in truth. Read in full

🗓On April 7, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov received in Moscow Rebeca Grynspan of Costa Rica, a candidate for the post of UN Secretary-General. Sergey Lavrov conveyed Russia’s position thatcandidates for the top UN post must strictly adhere to the principles of the UN Charter, pursue an impartial line in the interests of all member states, and work to adapt the Organisation to multipolar realities. Rebeca Grynspan presented her campaign platform, focusing on approaches to addressing current challenges, organising the UN’s day-to-day work, and carrying out reforms aimed at fully restoring its effectiveness and operational capacity. #UNCharterIsOurRules: Both Sides reaffirmed their commitment to the UN’s central coordinating role in world affairs.

📄Article by Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of International Organisations Kirill Logvinov for TASS News Agency(April 4, 2026) 🇺🇳 The United Nations Must Cast Off Western Shackles Read in full Despite the geopolitical turbulence in international affairs, the key foreign policy event of 2026 – the appointment of a new UN Secretary-General – has long been set in motion. The outcome of the candidate selection process will be of critical importance to the international community. Russia, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, takes this matter with the utmost seriousness, since there is now a real opportunity to help restore order within the UN in line with the letter of its Charter. Today, by and large, the UN has one central problem – the dominance of Westerners in its Secretariat under the leadership of Antonio Guterres. Serving the interests of all Member States on the basis of the principle of sovereign equality has been replaced by the promotion of the approaches of the Western minority, whose representatives have entrenched themselves in key UN posts and act on instructions from their capitals. Lately, UN officials, operating with excessive autonomy and too little accountability, have drifted ever further away from Member States, ignoring their concerns. Other key points: • UN staff have often had a neoliberal discourse imposed on them – one that fails to take into account the cultural and civilisational diversity of today’s world. As a result, instead of advancing unifying ideas, the Secretariat has contributed to the emergence of new dividing lines. • The Westerners will not voluntarily relinquish the levers of influence they have acquired in violation of the principle of fair geographical representation. Any future representative of an EU or NATO member state – or anyone holding “dual” Western citizenship – who ends up in the chair of the UN Secretary-General will simply be guided by the principles of “ideological fraternity” and “bloc solidarity”. • At this stage, Russia has no preferred candidate. This is primarily because the nomination process is still ongoing. What matters is to convey Russia’s principled positions regarding the future Secretary-General’s work to those already in the running, as well as to future contenders. In this context, we remain in close coordination with our Chinese partners. • We are explaining to other countries – including in the #CIS and #BRICS formats – the logic behind our requirements for candidates. The task is to build a broad front of like-minded states from the Global Majority that understand that restoring the UN’s role as the key mechanism of multilateral diplomacy, and effectively adapting the World Organisation to shifting geopolitical realities, is impossible without a “major overhaul” of its Secretariat. • All UN officials must be committed to the goals and principles of the Organisation’s Charter. Comments along the lines of “Greenland is one thing, Crimea is another” are unacceptable. • In conflict situations, the UN Secretary-General must maintain an equidistant position. Only such an approach can rule out the application of “double standards”, which, regrettably, are evident at virtually every level of the World Organisation – most clearly in the contexts of Gaza and Ukraine. • The UN needs a conscientious head of the Secretariat who understands both the scope and the limits of the mandate vested in that office by the decisions of Member States. The UN Charter must remain the guiding point of reference. • Restoring the UN’s ability to function effectively is impossible without reforming its Secretariat, provided that the future Secretary-General has the necessary political will. #RussiaUnitedNations#UNCharterIsOurRules

#HistoryOfDiplomacy 🗓 On February 4, 1945, the Yalta Conference of the Leaders of the anti-Hitler coalition — Joseph Stalin, Winston Churchill, and Franklin D. Roosevelt — officially commenced. The #YaltaConference stands as one of the most significant summits of the 'Big Three' Leaders during #WW2. The landmark talks in Yalta came to symbolise the successful cooperation of Moscow, Washington, and London in their common fightagainst the terrible evil the mankind had ever faced —the Nazi ideology. The historic agreements reached at the Forum defined the foundations of the post-war Yalta-Potsdam system of international relations, whose legal basis would be the #UNCharter. 💬 Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova: The participants in the Yalta Conference managed to overcome their differences, and, acting in the spirit of true solidarity, mutual respect and trust, abandoned their fleeting interests for the sake of defeating the common enemy and achieving a common victory, peace and freedom for all countries and peoples. *** 🌟 By early 1945, the Red Army had fully liberated the Soviet Union from the Nazi invaders and was mounting a decisive offensive: by January, the Nazi troops had been expelled from Warsaw, Krakow, Lodz, and most of Poland. The Soviet forces had secured strategically important bridgehead on the western bank of the Oder river and were preparing for the final battle of #WWII — the fight for the Reich’s capital — Berlin. As the Red Army advanced rapidly from the Vistula-Oder direction, UK-American units were pushing towards the Rhine river. Despite fierce resistance from elite units of the Nazi war machine, Germany’s defeat was inevitable. With the common Victory approaching, the discussing issues the post-war world order became a top priority for the Allied Powers. Thus, it was decided to convene a major conference, with the Soviet city of Yalta chosen as the venue (February 4-11, 1945). A central focus of the #CrimeanConference was the post-war future of the defeated Germany. The Allies reaffirmed their commitment to the eradication of German militarism and Nazism and to ensuring that “Germany will never again be able to disturb the peace of the world.” It was also agreed that Germany would be obliged to pay reparations for the damage inflicted by its aggression. During the Yalta negotiations, the 'Big Three' Leaders reached a compromise on the issue ofPoland’s borders.The Soviet delegation firmly advocated for Poland’s fundamental interests, upholding its right to independence and sovereignty. Churchill later described the Soviet Union’s historic role in liberating Poland from Nazism in his memoirs: But for the prodigious exertions and sacrifices of Russia, Poland was doomed to utter destruction at the hands of the Germans. Not only Poland as a State and as a nation, but the Poles as a race were doomed by Hitler to be destroyed or reduced to a servile station The considerable growth in the USSR’s international prestige significantly influenced the course and outcomes of the Yalta negotiations. This was due, in large part, to the Red Army’s remarkable successes on the battlefield. The image of the Soviet soldier as a Liberator was cemented, and the world recognised Soviet people's immense Sacrifice and Achievement in WWII The Conference produced several crucial documents, including the Declaration on Liberated Europe, which helped shape the international system for decades. The framework for the future #UnitedNations also took clearer form. Following Yalta, the Soviet Union secured agreement on the “principle of unanimity” among the five permanent UN Security Council members, embodied in the right of veto — #UNCharterIsOurRules. The Yalta agreements strengthened the unity of the anti-Hitler coalition in the final stages of World War II and contributed to the ultimate common victory over Germany. In the post-war years, ensuring the implementation of the Yalta decisions became a key objective of Soviet diplomacy. #Victory81#WeWereAllies

🗓 On January 27, 2026, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrovheld a meeting in Moscow with Co-Facilitators for the Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) on UN Security Council Reform, Permanent Representatives of Kuwait and the Netherlands to the UN Tareq Albanai and Lise Gregoire van Haaren. The Parties focused on the current round of negotiations held as part of the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly. Sergey Lavrov reiterated Russia’s position of principle in support of a coordinated Security Council reform, aimed at enhancing this body’s prestige and effectiveness and at making it more democratic through an expanded representation of Global South and East countries. The Parties also stated that significant differences persisted among the IGN participants on all key aspects of the reform process. This being so, it was necessary to go on with a thorough discussion of this agenda in the current format of intergovernmental negotiations, while avoiding to set any deadlines in the interests of reaching as broad an agreement as possible among the member states. #UNCharterIsOurRules