🎙Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with '60 Minutes' television programme (December 25, 2024)
💬Sergey Lavrov: We have not had any illusions about the prospects [of 2025]. Resolving the Ukraine crisis doesn’t have any prospects, either. It has long been clear to everyone holding unbiased positions that it can be settled only in the context of agreements on lasting security and stability in Europe, which would take into account the interests of the Russian Federation and the legitimate interests of all other countries. <...>
President Putin has repeatedly stressed that we never walk away from talks. We need to see serious, concrete proposals. When we have them, we will decide on how to respond to them based on our national interests, the goals of the special military operation, and President Vladimir Putin’s June 14 speech at the Foreign Ministry.
Other key points
• The prevailing discourse we are hearing both in the West and in Ukraine today is about a truce and only truce. It is about buying time to allow the Kiev regime to regain strength, with the help of the West, and resume its attempts to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, acting on their Western bosses’ instructions.
President Vladimir Putin has mentioned this repeatedly – during the Direct Line, at the Valdai Discussion Club meeting, and at the Russia Calling! investment forum. We will not be satisfied with a truce. We need reliable and legally binding agreements aimed at eliminating the root causes of the conflict, addressing problems such as common security in Europe, NATO expansion, the European Union’s recent decision to become an appendage of the North Atlantic bloc, in fact, erasing all differences between these organisations, and above all, upholding the rights of the people living in these territories who have supported reunification with the Russian Federation.
• We have never initiated a discussion regarding what should be done with nuclear weapons and whether they can be used. On the contrary, it was at Russia's initiative that in 2021, first at the level of Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, and subsequently among the leaders of the entire G5 nuclear-armed states – the permanent members of the Security Council – the 1987 Gorbachev-Reagan principle was reaffirmed: there can be no victors in a nuclear war, thus it should never be instigated. This was a Russian initiative.
We are not interested in escalating the issue of nuclear weapons usage risks. We firmly adhere to the principle I mentioned earlier: there can be no victors in a nuclear war.
• Regarding the incessant terrorist acts perpetrated by the Kiev regime, which deliberately targets purely civilian structures such as residential buildings, hospitals, clinics, shops, and places where people congregate and relax – this is outrageous. It is a blatant violation of all anti-terrorism conventions and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We express our condemnation, although regrettably, almost no one in the West and none of the leaders of international organisations, including the #UN, the #OSCE, #UNESCO, and others, join us in this denunciation. Naturally, we do not stop there.
We regularly disseminate information and present relevant videos illustrating our efforts to dismantle facilities directly associated with the preparation and execution of activities by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
❗️We caution that any continuation of this path will be met with increasingly decisive responses on our part.
Read in full
🇷🇺@RFDEL_UNESCO :
🔟 Decembrie este Ziua Drepturilor Omului.
📍 În această zi, în 1948, Adunarea Generală a Organizației Națiunilor Unite a adoptat Declarația Universală a Drepturilor Omului. #UNESCO a fost prima organizație a ONU care a pus Declarația Universală în centrul activității sale.
📍 Astăzi, lumea se confruntă cu încălcări fără precedent ale drepturilor omului în Ucraina de către regimul de la Kiev, care a interzis limba rusă în educație, știință, cultură și alte domenii, a introdus cenzura politică, a deschis o adevărată „vânătoare” de jurnaliști și comite alte crime.
📢 Atragem atenția asupra încălcărilor grave ale drepturilor omului de către Kiev în domeniile de competență ale Organizației.
👉https://t.me/MID_Russia/49462
Delegația permanentă a Federației Ruse la UNESCO:
📢 Atragem atenția Directorului General al #UNESCO Audrey Azoulay asupra unei alte crime a regimului de la Kiev împotriva jurnaliștilor ruși.
Pe 17 noiembrie, în urma unei lovituri cu drone ucrainene în districtul Bolșesoldatskii din regiunea Kursk, redactorul șef al ziarului „Narodnaia Gazeta”, Iulia Kuznețova, a fost ucisă, iar colega ei jurnalistă a fost rănită.
☝Vă reamintim că, în conformitate cu hotărârile Consiliului Executiv și ale Conferinței Generale a UNESCO, Directorul General este obligat să condamne „fără nicio deosebire” uciderile jurnaliştilor.
👉Totuși, Audrey Azoulay nu îndeplinește acest mandat. În perioada 2022-2024, Directorul General nu a condamnat nici o singură ucidere a jurnaliștilor ruși. Potrivit proiectului ei de raport privind siguranța jurnaliștilor, nici un reprezentant al presei nu a fost ucis în Rusia în 2022-2023. Aceasta este o manifestare flagrantă de părtinire și „standarde duble”, incompatibilă cu îndatoririle unui funcționar public internațional!
📢Solicităm Directorului General să ofere clarificări în cadrul următoarei reuniuni (21-22 noiembrie) a Programului Internațional de Dezvoltare a Comunicării.
DELEGAŢIA PERMANENTĂ A FEDERAȚIEI RUSE PE LÂNGĂ UNESCO:
⚡️ Potrivit informațiilor apărute în mass-media, ca urmare a atacului trupelor ucrainene, biserica Mănăstirii Sfântul Nicolae din Gornal, regiunea Kursk 🇷🇺 a fost incendiată.
☝️ Acest bombardament reprezintă încă o încălcare flagrantă de către Ucraina a obligațiilor sale internaționale prevăzute de Convenția pentru protecția bunurilor culturale în caz de conflict armat, adoptată în 1954.
📍 Protecția proprietății culturale este mandatul #UNESCO.
📢 Facem apel la directorul general al UNESCO, dna Audrey Azoulay, să-și ridice vocea în apărarea bunurilor culturale ale Rusiei și să condamne acțiunile criminale ale Kievului!
https://t.me/MID_Russia/43964?single
🎙Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answer to a question from RIA Novosti regarding allegations that Russia violated the Budapest Memorandum(February 24, 2026)
❓ Question: Zelensky has repeatedly claimed that by launching the special military operation, Russia violated the Budapest Memorandum. However, the head of the Kiev regime forgets that by enshrining NATO membership as a constitutional objective and engaging in military-technical cooperation with the North Atlantic Alliance, Ukraine itself violated, inter alia, the Budapest Memorandum. Could you elaborate on the groundlessness of Ukraine’s accusations and on other documents it has breached?
💬Maria Zakharova: To answer this question, let us recall that the Budapest Memorandum – or the Memorandum on security assurances in connection with Ukraine’s accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons – is an act that does not constitute an international treaty. It was signed on December 5, 1994 by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, the US and the UK.
Under this document, Ukraine agreed to transfer to Russia the portion of the former Soviet nuclear arsenal located on its territory and to become a fully non-nuclear state. In turn, Russia, the US and the UK provided security assurances to Ukraine.
It should also be recalled that, simultaneously with the Memorandum, a joint statement was adopted in Budapest by the leaders of Russia, the UK, the US and Ukraine. Among other things, it reaffirmed the importance of #OSCE commitments aimed at countering the rise of aggressive nationalism and chauvinism. It is evident that the Ukrainian side failed to fulfil these commitments and for many years tolerated the growth of highly aggressive nationalism.
At the OSCE summit in Budapest in 1994, and during related events on its margins, Russia did not undertake any obligation to compel part of Ukraine to remain within its composition against the will of the local population. The provisions of the Budapest Memorandum do not apply to circumstances arising from internal political or socio-economic factors.
❗️Thus, Ukraine’s loss of territorial integrity was the result of complex internal processes to which Russia and its obligations under the Budapest Memorandum bear no relation. Accordingly, there can be no question of any violation of the Budapest Memorandum by Russia.
At the same time, Russia and Ukraine were bound by a more significant legal instrument – the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between the Russian Federation and Ukraine – which Ukraine systematically violated prior to the launch of the special military operation.
For many years, the Ukrainian leadership pursued a policy of gross and systematic breaches of this Treaty, which should be qualified as a refusal to comply with its provisions. This, in particular, ultimately led to the decision of the Russian leadership to begin the special military operation.
Ukraine’s strategic course toward acquiring full NATO membership was enshrined at the constitutional level, effectively violating Article 6 of the Treaty. At that moment, Ukraine officially renounced one of the foundations of its international recognition in the 1990s – its neutral and non-aligned status – thereby also breaching the 1994 Budapest Memorandum.
❗️NATO's unchecked geopolitical expansion up to our borders, including Ukraine, became one of the root causes of the conflict. Without addressing this, a settlement is impossible.
When accusing Russia of violating the Budapest Memorandum, they somehow fail to recall the long-standing sabotage of this fundamental bilateral Russian-Ukrainian document.
☝️ The above facts – as well as many others – demonstrate that the goals and objectives of the special military operation remain relevant and will be fulfilled, as repeatedly stated by the Russian leadership.
Read in full
🎙Speech by the Permanent Delegate of Russia 🇷🇺 R.Alyautdinov on the inclusion of the "Rock Paintings of Shulgan-Tash Cave" on the #UNESCO World Heritage List
📍On behalf of the Russian Federation, I now would like to express gratitude for the worldwide recognition of the outstanding universal value of the masterpieces of the Shulgan-Tash Cave.
📍Over 200 colorful paintings created 16,000 years ago can rightfully be considered our common heritage.
📍This is a reminder of the unity of the spiritual origins of humanity, which is manifested in the diversity of equal cultures of different people.
📍We thank the World Heritage Center and ICOMOS for their constructive interaction and look forward to continued cooperation.
🏛 On April 2, Ambassador Albert P. Khorev, accompanied by staff of the Russian Embassy and Consulate General, visited a number of historical sites in the province of Sindh, including the Chaukundi Tombs, the Makli Necropolis – a #UNESCO World Heritage Site – and the Shah Jahan Mosque in Thatta, built in the 17th century and renowned for its exquisite decoration.
The delegation also familiarized itself with the progress of archaeological excavations at the ancient port city of Banbhore. This medieval site holds exceptional historical significance, as it is believed that, following its capture by the Arab commander Muhammad ibn al-Qasim in the 8th century, the first mosque in South Asia was constructed there.
🇷🇺🇵🇰 Banbhore also occupies a special place in the history of Russia-Pakistan relations. According to historians, the Russian merchant and traveler Afanasy Nikitin, a native of Tver, visited the site in the 15th century.
Arriving on the Indian subcontinent around 1470 – well before the voyage of Vasco da Gama – Nikitin described the nature, culture, and traditions of the region in his renowned work “Journey Beyond the Three Seas.”
🤝 The visit to Sindh’s historical landmarks offered Russian diplomats deeper insight into Pakistan’s rich history, diverse cultural heritage, traditions, and natural wealth.
🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’sarticle for Russia in Global Affairs magazine «The UN must recover its central role in coordinating actions by nations»(October 4, 2024)
READ IN FULL
💬 The 79th Session of the UN General Assembly has recently completed the general debate, where President Vladimir Putin tasked me to represent the Russian Federation.
Does the Pact for the Future have a future?
Held as usual in the last week of September, the UN’s High-Level Week included the so-called Summit of the Future. The idea to convene it came from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and Russia has met this idea with understanding considering that the UN is sinking deeper and deeper into a crisis, and something has to be done about it. Russian diplomats joined efforts to prepare this meeting and acted in a sincere and honest way, even if we did not have any illusions in this regard. In fact, there were quite a few major UN events in the past which failed to go beyond bombastic declarations that were forgotten soon after their adoption.
<...>
In 2015, the UN Summit on Sustainable Development adopted grand plans to fight poverty and inequality. In the end, they turned out to be empty promises in the face of the unwillingness of the Western countries to give up their neo-colonial practices of siphoning off the riches of the world for their own benefit. <...>
The current UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, just like Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon before him, has put forward an initiative under the slogan of giving a new start and resetting global cooperation.
This is a wonderful idea. Who could disagree?
But what global cooperation is there to talk about, when the West has trampled all those unshakeable values of globalisation we have been hearing about from everywhere for so many years. These perorations were designed to convince us that they would give everyone equal access to the goods of modern civilisation. Where is the inviolability of property, the presumption of innocence, freedom of expression, access to information, fair market competition under fair and constant rules?
How can we discuss global cooperation when the Western countries have unleashed a real war of sanctions against more than half, if not the majority, of the countries of the world, and the US dollar has been crudely turned into a weapon against undesirable countries? <...>
Key talking points:
• It is not too late to give the UN a new lease on life.
• It has gotten to the point where the West wants to turn the UN into an instrument for attaining itself-seeking goals.
• [The West is] hindering the badly needed change in the system of forming the UN Secretariat, where the key posts have been seized and are “inherited” by representatives of the Western minority.
• There must be an honest discussion by all UN member states, and not like a process in which the Pact for the Future was prepared – without a single plenary session of talks attended by all countries.
• Establishing a space of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia is crucial amid the all-encompassing processes unfolding in the macro-region.
• Our initiative is based on the understanding of the need for states and multilateral organisations of the Eurasian region to assume responsibility for ensuring their own security under the ‘Eurasian solutions to Eurasian problems’ formula.
***
❗️ Today, the international community once again faces massive challenges, just like during World War II, which require united efforts rather than confrontation and desire of global dominance. Russia will always advocate collective efforts, truth and the rule of law, peace and cooperation in the interests of reviving the ideals set forth by the UN’s founding fathers.
🇺🇳 Working for the honest balance of the legitimate national interests of all countries, we can bring to life the purpose of the #UN as stated in its Charter: “To be a centre for harmonising the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.”
🇷🇺🇧🇾🇰🇿 20-21 мая российско-белорусская делегация во главе с заместителем Постоянного представителя Российской Федерации при ОБСЕМ.В.Буякевичем и заместителем Начальника Управления общеевропейского сотрудничества МИД БеларусиА.М.Чесновским посетила Республику Казахстан для анализа работы полевого присутствия #ОБСЕ в Астане.
Состоялся обстоятельный обмен мнениями с руководством Программного офиса ОБСЕ в Астане по ключевым вопросам функционирования Организации, а также проектной деятельности офиса по трём измерениям безопасности и приоритетам его взаимодействия с казахстанской стороной.
В рамках визита российско-белорусскую делегацию приняли в МИД Казахстана. В ходе беседы с заместителем Директора Департамента Европы А.С.Биртан стороны обсудили ряд вопросов взаимодействия на площадке ОБСЕ и ход реализации проектов Программного офиса по содействию национальным властям в контексте реализуемых в Казахстане масштабных реформ. Участники встречи подчеркнули настрой на дальнейшее взаимодействие на венской площадке и важность усилий по продвижению совместных инициатив.
Данная поездка стала продолжением состоявшихся в апреле 2024 года серии визитов российской делегации по линии ОБСЕ в Центральную Азию.
#OSCE
🎙 Comentariul Purtătoarei de Cuvânt a Ministerului Afacerilor Externe al Federației Ruse, Maria Zaharova, cu ocazia Zilei Mondiale a Libertății Presei
💬#WorldPressFreedomDay este marcată în mod tradițional la 3 mai. După cum știți, această dată, care simbolizează angajamentul comunității internaționale față de principiile independenței și pluralismului mass-media, precum și asigurarea libertății de acces la informație, a fost stabilită printr-o rezoluție a Adunării Generale a ONU la 20 decembrie 1993.
Constatăm cu dezamăgire că, în ultimii ani, Ziua Mondială a Libertății Presei a devenit din ce în ce mai formalizată, iar idealurile și principiile ei corespund din ce în ce mai puțin situației reale din spațiul mediatic mondial.
Sub pretextul „combaterii dezinformării”, mass-media și jurnaliștii ruși sunt supuși la tot felul de represiuni și hărțuiri. Practic, în efortul de a stabili controlul asupra spațiului informațional global, țările occidentale au declarat un război total împotriva adevărului și libertății de exprimare, folosind ca arme cenzura politică, minciunile și propaganda agresivă de război.
Din păcate, pentru noi astăzi, această dată este mai degrabă o ocazie de a reaminti încă o dată că situația în domeniul asigurării securității muncii jurnaliștilor rămâne critică, în ciuda tuturor apelurilor zgomotoase și declarațiilor „corecte” pe care le auzim în mod regulat de la tribunele organizațiilor internaționale pentru drepturile omului.
De la începutul acestui an, cinci reprezentanți ai presei ruse au fost uciși ca urmare a atacurilor țintite ale forțelor armate ucrainene. La 4 ianuarie, în urma unui atac țintit al unei drone ucrainene asupra unui vehicul civil, corespondentul Izvestia A.S.Martemyanov a fost ucis; la 24 martie, corespondentul Izvestia A.S.Fedorchak și cameramanul A.A.Panov de la postul de televiziune Zvezda au fost uciși de tiruri țintite de artilerie ale forțelor armate ucrainene asupra teritoriului Republicii Populare Lugansk; un alt corespondent Zvezda, N.M.Goldin, a murit în spital din cauza rănilor suferite la 22 aprilie. La 26 martie, un vehicul aparținând unei echipe de filmare a postului de televiziune Pervîi Canal a fost aruncat în aer de o mină amplasată de militanții regimului de la Kiev, ceea ce i-a curmat viața corespondentului de război A.A.Prokofyeva. Numeroși lucrători din mass-media au fost răniți cu diferite grade de gravitate.
În total, din februarie 2022, zeci de lucrători mass-media au fost uciși și răniți de către ucronaziști.
Site-ul extremist „Mirotvoreț”, care reprezintă o „listă de împușcare” a reporterilor, personalităților publice, publiciștilor și, în general, a tuturor celor pe care regimul lui Zelensky i-a înscris în rândurile adversarilor săi ideologici, este încă disponibil în mod deschis.
🕯 A.D.Voloșin, I.V.Korneliuk, A.S.Klian, A.A.Stenin, D.A.Dughina, O.V.Klokov, M.Y.Fomin (Vladlen Tatarski), R.I.Juravliov, B.B.Maksudov, S.N.Eriomin, V.A.Kojin, Y.N.Kuznețova vor rămâne pentru totdeaună în inimile noastre.
Pentru punerea în aplicare a acestor planuri criminale se folosesc metode teroriste, în timp ce protectorii occidentali ai Ucrainei și structurile părtinitoare pentru drepturile omului continuă să închidă deliberat ochii la aceste atrocități.
Credem că memoria celor care și-au dat viața îndeplinindu-și datoria profesională este sfântă. Iar cei responsabili pentru moartea jurnaliștilor ar trebui să primească pedeapsa pe care o merită. Prin urmare, vom continua să insistăm ca structurile relevante, cum ar fi #UNESCO (cu directorul său general), Înaltul Comisar al ONU pentru Drepturile Omului, Institutul Reprezentantului OSCE pentru libertatea presei să acționeze în conformitate cu îndatoririle lor directe, condamnând fără echivoc aceste crime atroce.
🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at a joint meeting of the Collegiums of the Foreign Ministries of Russia and Belarus (Moscow, November 25, 2025)
💬 Today, we are looking back at the outgoing year, which marked the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, a sacred holiday for Belarusians and Russians.
I would like to express my gratitude to our Belarusian allies for their consistently close cooperation and support in all our joint undertakings. Guided by the Programme of Coordinated Actions in Foreign Policy of the States Parties to the Treaty on the Establishment of the Union State for 2024-2026, we have closely cooperated within the framework of our common Eurasian associations, such as (in addition to the Union State) the #CSTO, the #EAEU, the #CIS, and the #SCO, as well as within #BRICS, the #UN, and the #OSCE.
In all of these organisations, we act in solidarity on virtually all international issues. We are implementing important joint initiatives, including those aimed at strengthening security and stability in Eurasia. Diplomatic support of large-scale bilateral cooperation and integration processes within the Union State has remained our overriding priority.
Undoubtedly, the Union State is a format that sets the tone for interaction across several areas. In accordance with the resolution adopted by the collegiums and instructions issued by the respective heads of state and government, we primarily focused on promoting cooperation within common integration entities, deepening ties among them, and expanding cooperation with the countries from the Global South. Likewise, we focused on coordinating our efforts on international legal issues, among them countering the West’s sanctions aggression, and other areas.
<...>
We have facilitated the dialogue between the EAEU and the SCO and BRICS, and the coordination of 2026-2030 EEC-ASEAN Cooperation Programme. We have started looking into the possibility of expanding CIS contacts with African organisations and established cooperation between the CSTO Secretariat and the AU Counter Terrorism Centre.
As I mentioned earlier, we have jointly promoted on all international venues the initiative advanced by the President of the Republic of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, on the development of the Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century which aligns with the initiative put forward by President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin to form a new architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia. <...>
We have made significant efforts to expand international support for countering the practice of illegal unilateral sanctions. On the initiative of the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter, of which Russia and Belarus are members and play an important role, the UN General Assembly adopted, in June, a resolution establishing the International Day against Unilateral Coercive Measures. <...>
The agenda of today’s meeting is quite extensive. We will begin by discussing issues related to the joint use of humanitarian policy tools, the promotion of traditional values, and the preservation of historical memory. We will then consider matters related to cooperation with friendly states and their associations, as well as our approaches to building relations with the countries whose governments pursue an openly unfriendly policy towards us. This will also include our relations with the organisations that deviate from their own founding principles, do not adhere to impartiality and equal distance, but instead seek to take predominantly pro-Western political positions.
We will place special emphasis on sharing experience in foreign policy information support. Following the meeting, we plan to sign a Resolution of the collegiums and a Plan for inter-ministerial consultations for 2026.
#RussiaBelarus