Afrasianet - Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a press conference with representatives of Russian and foreign media in which he presented the results of 2024 and Russia's positions on hot issues at various levels.
Here are the most important statements of Lavrov:
• Lavrov cannot accept "empty" talk, talk of calm and truce through which they want to buy time to rearm Ukraine and so on. The truce is a dead end, we need final and legal agreements through which all conditions are fixed to ensure the security of Russia and the security of our neighbors as well. Including the non-expansion of NATO, after it has extended to our borders. The reason for this is the racist actions of the regime in Kiev, especially after The illegal coup after the suppression of everything Russian including culture, language and even the Russian Orthodox Church.
• Russia is not proposing "preconditions", but rather consolidating and consolidating what has been agreed in the past. What they said before that "NATO does not expand" they did not abide by. There is the principle of self-determination of peoples, especially since compromise is to ensure the unity and integrity of States whose Governments respect the self-determination rights of all people living on their territory.
• After the coup, the regime in Kiev announced a military operation against the inhabitants of the Donbas regions.
For our part, we are talking with our friends in China and Brazil about their settlement initiatives, talking not only about the principle of territorial integrity and unity, but also about the right to self-determination of peoples.
• There is an unwillingness of the inhabitants of African countries, for example, to live under colonial rule, and this is the same as the inhabitants of Donbas and Zaporozhye not to live under the authority of the Nazis who controlled the rule in Kiev.
• These boycotts, which have become part of our Constitution, have become a fait accompli, and the principles of the Charter of the United Nations must be dealt with in their entirety and not by choosing what is appropriate.
• The regime in Kiev does not respect the Russian language and banned the Orthodox Church. Anyone who wants to find a settlement to the Ukrainian crisis should look for the root causes.
• Chinese President Xi Jinping has stressed the search for the main causes of this crisis.
• As for Mr. Kellogg, President-elect Donald Trump's representative on Ukraine, the Minsk agreements have failed and he says they will not be repeated, Mr. Kellogg should delve deeper into the Ukraine crisis. Minsk was not just an attempt, but specific and clear agreements concluded under the auspices of France, Germany and the United Nations.
• The regime in Kiev did not implement any of the provisions of the Minsk agreements ratified by the Security Council. Those agreements were signed by former President Poroshenko of Ukraine, French President Hollande and German Chancellor Merkel. They did not intend to implement the agreements, seeing them as an "opportunity" to buy time and arm Ukraine for confrontation with Russia.
Lavrov on the way the West deals with international relations:
• The West's methods of international relations pursue a policy of "isolating Russia", putting forward strange demands to other countries not to deal with Russia and buy energy resources at more expensive prices. After losing his official status, Josep Borrell announced that the EU had promised Ukraine help but that would not continue indefinitely.
• The West understands that sanctions harm the West's population. During one storm, $700 was distributed to citizens, and there were demonstrations over giving Ukraine billions of dollars at a time when an American citizen could not get support from his government.
• The Americans are trying to get rid of Chinese competition and would like to limit the development of technology and the development of the Chinese people. Besides China, Europe has also become a victim of the U.S. approach to eliminating all competitors. Such people are in Slovakia and Hungary, who seek credible talks.
• Ms. Callas, who replaced Josep Borrell as Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, began trying to "use the stick" of those trying to communicate with us.
• With regard to our relations with China, we fully understand that relations between Russia and China through the BRICS group, as well as at the bilateral level, are strengthened, including within the framework of agreements signed in all fields such as security, culture, education and other humanitarian activities.
• I am confident that with the development of a multipolar world, it will not be possible without the development of groups and unions in which justice and equality prevail among nations.
• It is necessary to explain all the principles through which the BRICS group operates, which provides media, data and information, because there is a lot of talk about fake news. The development of media work to strengthen the BRICS position and the Global South in general is very important. Russian-Chinese communication plays an important role in this framework.
• The 80th jubilee of the end of World War II will be celebrated with China, where China also triumphed over Japan. next May and September. We are counting on the media structure of BRICS and other organizations to cover the events as they deserve.
• We are strengthening BRICS positions on international platforms
• More and more people want to get the truth outside the official Western narrative.
Lavrov on the relationship with Syria, Moscow's position on Israel's incursion into Syrian territory.
• We have not withdrawn our diplomats from Damascus, and the embassy there is operating normally like the rest of the embassies, and we communicate with the current Syrian authorities and discuss practical issues such as securing Russian citizens and the work of the embassy. In general, they are interested in dialogue on all other issues on bilateral relations.
• As the Russian president said, we are in contact with all political forces in Syria, and we continue to communicate with this even before these recent events. I would like to point out that the head of the authorities, Ahmed Al-Shara, said in a press interview with the BBC that relations are old and strategic with Russia, and we support that proposal.
• Syria is a friendly country, and we have contributed to getting rid of colonial dependency and preparing tens of thousands of Syrian cadres and now we have five thousand Syrians studying, and we will continue this approach, ready to resume working with the new leaders after the power structure is formed.
• We know that this is a transitional phase as announced, where preparations for the elections will be carried out through consensus with all parties so that the process is inclusive, and so that the elections are with the participation of all Syrian spectrums, and we are ready to assist in this process within the framework of the Security Council, as well as in the Astana format as well as together with the Arab countries.
• We have contact with Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, Egypt and of course with Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain and Lebanon. Everyone is interested that Syria does not repeat the path of the Libyan state after NATO destroyed this country, and so far no results have been reached.
• We have heard President Erdogan's statements regarding security with Syria, and the actions that have caused chaos before, we are working to preserve the unity and territorial integrity of Syria, which is Turkey's position. We must look at eastern Syria, where the Americans have occupied oil sources and fertile lands, where resources are extracted and exported, and organizations seeking secession are supported.
• There are those who want to divide Syria, and Israel must understand its responsibilities and not maintain its security as an adversary of the security of others. It should not be relied upon that destroying military positions of neighbors can maintain security. In doing so, they are sowing more tension and unrest.
Lavrov and the relationship with Latin American countries
• Relations between Russia and Latin America and the Caribbean are characterized by friendship and we and friends from Latin America respect each other, and we receive from the majority of Latin American countries an interest in strengthening the partnership with Russia. Cooperation in the diplomatic and humanitarian sphere is developing and relations are developing even between the territories of the two countries.
• We are ready to deepen the complex cooperation to the degree desired by the Latin American countries on the basis of mutual benefit.
• President Biden in the last four years has expressed concern about Russia sending a delegation to Nicaragua or Venezuela. The dangers the United States creates are known for its bases in more than 200 countries, while the Washington administration is preventing and "concerned" the visit of a Russian delegation.
• We also develop our relations with regional organizations in Latin America. We believe that the coming year will be full of events. We intend to hold exhibitions and cultural events in this regard, which will allow to set new horizons in bilateral relations. In June we are pleased to see guests from Latin America at the Petersburg Economic Forum. I draw attention to other forums taking place in Russia, in which our Latin American friends participate, such as the Russian Energy Week and other forums.
• Trade between Russia and Latin America is steady, and has been developing in recent years, especially with Mexico and Chile, and with Venezuela, which suffers from US sanctions, we are carrying out joint projects.
• Relations with Latin America are special, with 27 of the 30 countries in the Caribbean basin allowing visa-free entry for Russian citizens. Which increases the tourism process.
• In September 2025 we will be holding an Intervidenie song contest that will be shared by countries from all over the world including from Latin America, and we welcome tourists from all over the world.
Moscow's position on the proposals of the new US administration
• We don't count too much on the new administration in Washington, and that there will come a president with a new vision. We don't predict and predict, we wait for the formation of the entire administration, and there is bipartisan agreement in the United States that relations with Russia are not friendly but adversary, as they want to get rid of Russia as a competitor, whether Russia, China or Europe. The United States is based on weakening adversaries, so that no country in the world is "stronger" than the United States.
• The United States must feel the reality of a multipolar world. The current US administration calls Russia an "enemy."
• We hear President-elect Donald Trump's signals, which are rational and natural. Always when there is talk of discussion, dialogue and the possibility of transferring information to the other party, that is the essence of diplomacy.
• Indeed, there are signals from Washington to resume the dialogue that the United States broke after the start of the special military operation. We are open to any dialogue, and we await the Trump administration's formal wording on Russia.
• If Washington takes into account our legitimate interests, perhaps then dialogues will be meaningful. Otherwise, threats not to use the dollar and other financial platforms are neither feasible nor fruitful.
• The course of interference in the internal affairs of countries for a long time reflects Washington's methods, and they will continue to do so, and we must be prepared for that.
• The United States must know the changes taking place in the modern world, which do not accept dictates as an essential tool for working in international relations.
NATO presence in Ukraine:
• NATO is a U.S. alliance with the participation of the CIA and was in Ukraine long before the 2014 coup. Therefore, the lack of independence of the Kiev regime after the coup is obvious and no one doubts it. The Anglo-Saxons are leading the system there.
• A large consulting office of Ukraine has been established with 50 employees, to control all aspects of life, including security and defense. The West is signaling that Zelensky should look after his interests in Ukraine.
• Senator Lindsay Graham said that Ukraine has mineral wealth that we should not give Russia this wealth. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said ceding Ukraine represented a major economic loss for the United States.
• The Ukrainian settlement should address the main causes.
Lavrov on the dealings of Western powers with Damascus:
• The Astana format has met more than 20 times, the last of which was on December 7. So far, everyone is communicating and exchanging views. The Astana format can play an important role at the current stage, including as an observer, along with the Arab and Gulf states. Everyone offers their services, everyone knows our potential, including the Arab countries. As the current PA leader Ahmed al-Sharaa said, relations are strategic and long. We have been in contact with the Syrian people since the days of the Soviet Union, where we helped them get rid of the French colonialism, and our support for the economic and social spheres. The Syrian people's interest now is to build balanced relations with everyone, which is one of the factors in which the Astana format can play a role.
• Of course, Ahmed al-Sharaa is now under great pressure from the West, which wants to hijack more influence as well as from the territory, as Kaya Callas from the European Union suggests not to contact Russia. Estonia will not offer its aid if the Syrian authorities do not expel Russian bases from Syrian territory. It's insolence like no other.
• Western powers are not interested in Syria's unity but seek the largest possible share of influence, territory and resources.