Sergey Lavrov: ‘Now — Russia, China is declared next’

“Ukraine was chosen as a tool to suppress Russian independence”

“There is no doubt that one of the rules that the West wants to implement is the deterrence of any competitor. Now Russia, China has been announced as the next, or all this will happen simulteneously. And the goal of this rules-based world order is nothing less than the complete revival of the unipolar world," Lavrov said today.

The attempt to create a new world order, according to the Russian minister of foreign affairs, has already been started.

“What is happening now in the world, of course, is not only, and not so much about Ukraine, it is about attempts to form a new order," he stressed. “Many years ago, about ten years ago, our Western colleagues began instead of the term 'international law', to which they have always called for all years of existence of the UN, instead of calls to comply with international law, they began to demand that everyone comply with the rules-based world order, respect the rules-based world order, observe these very rules. No one demand the rules from anyone, because there are no rules.”

According to Lavrov, for each specific case, the rules “are written in a narrow circle of Western countries, which then pass off as the ultimate truth and require everyone to comply with these rules”.

“The goal was to contain Russia, as well as to contain any other country that behaves more or less independently on the world stage. As for the Russian direction of NATO's policy, Ukraine was chosen as a tool for suppressing Russian independence," he stated.

The mentality by which the “anti-Russia” was built in Ukraine formed for years, Lavrov noted:

“EU officials, foreign ministers [of EU member states], publicly intervening in the course of the election campaign, stated — 'Ukrainians have to choose with whom they are with Europe or with Russia'. “That's how the question was posed. Even then it was 'either, or'.”

The establishment of a 'new world order' led by Washington was announced yesterday by US President Joe Biden. According to him, today the world is at a turning point, which is repeated every three or four generations.

“There will be a new world order, and we must lead it, we must unite the rest of the free world," said the head of the White House.

“All this is done for the needs of the North Atlantic Alliance, which has been advancing despite all obligations”

Speaking about the European Union, Lavrov said that it has lost its independence in conceptual issues and has completely merged with NATO and the United States. The Russian minister recalled that for many years the EU countries that are not NATO states have been providing their infrastructure for military exercises of the North Atlantic Alliance. He explained that this is the so-called European mobility, “which for the purposes of movement to the East does not distinguish between a NATO member or a neutral state.”

“In any case, all this is done in response to the need of the North Atlantic Alliance, which has been moving towards the East for all these years, despite all its obligations, and which has ignored our numerous proposals all these years to fulfill what we agreed on, once and for all, it seemed to us. Both in the OSCE and within the framework of Russia-NATO relations. Namely, that no one will strengthen their security at the expense of the security of others — this is the key component of indivisibility of security, as it was enshrined at the highest level at a number of summits," Lavrov added.

He drew attention to the statement of the minister of economy and finance of France, Bruno Le Maire, who said that the countries of the European Union intend to launch a “total economic war” against Russia.

“This unprecedented sabbath reflects anger, because the anti-Russia project has been thwarted, and now all means are good. If you are a Russophobe, you can do anything and everything is allowed.”

“I do not know how they will justify themsleves before history”

Lavrov also spoke about sanctions, including in the field of sports:

“What is happening with sports, with our Paralympic athletes, is a mockery, it is a verdict of Western civilisation. I do not know how they will justify themsleves before history.”

Returning to the topic of the unipolar world, the Russian minister of foreign affairs said that all sanctions against Moscow are needed just to establish it.

“But the current scale, of course, is amazing, because I did not think that such an imagination would arise in the West. If earlier they constantly stressed, when imposing sanctions, that it was not against ordinary people, it was against regimes, against leaders, so that they would personally feel how bad it would be for them if they did not cooperate, and we always protect ordinary people, [now] it is nothing like that. All this has already been discarded many times," Lavrov said.

“There have already been talks not only about the peacekeeping contingent”

Continuing the topic of NATO, Lavrov said that sending their peacekeepers to Ukraine would lead to a direct clash of alliance forces with the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation:

“Our Polish colleagues have already stated that there will be a NATO summit now, there is a need to send peacekeepers. I hope they understand what we are talking about. This will be the very direct clash of the Russian and NATO armed forces, which everyone not only wanted to avoid but said that it should never take place in principle.”

At the same time, Lavrov did not rule out that Poland, having proposed sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, would like to “make a headquarters in Lviv and then stay there”.

“There have already been talks not only about the peacekeeping contingent, there has already been talk that not NATO, but the Balts can send some small battalions there to defend Ukraine. So we need to keep our composure," the minister said.

Recently, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said that Ukraine has the right to invite “anyone it wants” to its territory, including NATO peacekeepers, and expressed the opinion that Russia “will not dare to attack the alliance”.

“Talks alone can't help now”

Meanwhile, Ukraine itself is delaying negotiations with Russia, the Russian minister stated.

“This is aimed at dramatising the situation, allowing [Ukrainian President Volodymir] Zelensky in a khaki T-shirt to speak in front of world parliaments and after each such speech, emotionally, to demand NATO intervention again," Lavrov said.

He stressed that Russia's position is simple: “Talks alone can't help now.”

Realnoe Vremya follows the events. Read the details in a special story of the online newspaper.