🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the XI #TerraScientia National Educational Youth Forum (Solnechnogorsk, July 28, 2025)

Key talking points:

• Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, new Russia’s foreign policy has always been based exclusively on its national interests. No lecturing, and no forcing ideologically-driven approaches on our neighbours or partners, either. <...> The primary goal of our foreign policy is to ensure safe conditions for the country’s development and to raise the well-being of our citizens.

• In Europe, the Ukraine issue represents the West’s policy of aiming to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia. They don’t hide the fact that they had been preparing for this for quite some time.

• Even during the Cold War, dialogue was there and helped opposing camps better understand each other’s intentions, first and foremost, to prevent a major war. Europe has lost that instinct, and the vaccine against Nazism has worn off. The same forces that once sought to destroy Russia are now re-emerging in Europe and have chosen Ukraine as a battering ram that they use against us. They welcome everything it is doing.

• We have consistently championed dialogue, even during the most challenging times. <...> It is also imperative to acknowledge that mutual respect existed during the Cold War. Today, it is absent. Europe has simply gone berserk. Much of this is, understandably, a struggle to retain power.

• The dialogue we maintain with Donald Trump’s administration demonstrates that reasonable voices still exist in the West. They command significant support, as evidenced by recent developments in the United States.

• The West cannot accept the loss of its hegemony and continues to pursue purely neocolonial policies. Their sanctions regime exists to suppress competitors, fearing their unimpeded development, because emerging power centres have already outpaced them. Remove obstacles, and they will leave the West far behind.

• A multipolar world is emerging – an objective and unstoppable process. No sanctions, trade wars, or provocations of open conflict can reverse it. Despite this, the West continues to pursue such tactics, following its actions in the Middle East, Ukraine, and Iran. 👉 The rise of a multipolar world will ultimately prevail, despite efforts to delay the natural course of history. We are supported by a wide network of partners, allies, and like-minded nations.

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🎙️ Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria #Zakharova:

💬 The pledge made by U. von der Leyen to purchase US energy resources undermines the economic sovereignty of EU countries.

The European Commission has increased the EU’s dependence on US energy under the pretext of reducing reliance on Russian resources.

🎙 Excerpt from Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's answers to questions at the XI #TerraScientia National Educational Youth Forum (Solnechnogorsk, July 28, 2025)

❓ Question: Following the global shifts of the past, we are witnessing a crisis of global international security, communication and law and order infrastructure. They no longer inspire confidence. Many countries have withdrawn from these structures. It appears that we are taking a step back. What do you think on this score? Do we need new structures? If so, what should they be like?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: I have spoken on this issue in my statement. Of course, the UN has been put to test, primarily because of the West’s actions, which has actually taken over the governing elements of the UN Secretariat. The positions of the UN Secretary-General, the Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief and the Under-Secretary-General for Safety and Security are held by citizens of NATO countries.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has initiated a reform. He has published a UN80 Initiative. I will not cite from that document, but it essentially stipulates restricting the ability of UN member states to influence the activities of the Organisation and its Secretariat and expanding the powers of the Secretariat in the spheres that have always been matters of intergovernmental coordination.

This is being done under the pretext that coordination takes too long, whereas such matters call for immediate action. This is yet another example of how the West is using its “proteges” in the secretariats of international organisations to promote solutions that benefit the West.

The Council of Europe, from which we have withdrawn, is in a deep crisis. Instead of developing a universal legal framework for humanitarian cooperation, it has thrown its energy into illegal efforts to establish “tribunals” against Russia, and commissions to assess the damage inflicted on Ukraine. This is regrettable. It used to be a good organisation.

The OSCE is in a deep crisis as well. Its current secretary general, a citizen of Türkiye and a former diplomat, has been trying to act within his powers in strict compliance with the principles of neutrality and impartiality. His predecessors grossly violated their powers and neglected the requirements of the OSCE’s statutory documents. The countries that held the rotating OSCE Chairpersonship acted in the same manner. <...>

🌐 I have already mentioned organisations that are based on the principle of equality — #BRICS, the SCO, the CIS, the CSTO and the EAEU, including in relations with African colleagues. Incidentally, we will hold a second Ministerial Conference of the Russia-Africa Partnership Forum and the first Russia-Arab World summit this autumn. We and our partners are comfortable with these formats. <...>

Another place where we sit down at the same table with the West, apart from the UN, is the Group of Twenty #G20. <...> The West’s attempt to “Ukrainise” the G20 agenda fell through three years ago. Everyone supported our view that the G20 was not created to deal with political matters, which is the prerogative of the UN Security Council.

We still regard the UN as a crucial structure. If you look at the UN Charter, there is nothing that should be changed in it, including to suit the concept of multipolarity. The Charter includes the principle of sovereign equality of states, and the principle of equality and self-determination of nations. There is also the principle of territorial integrity. <...>

❗️ The requirements of the UN Charter must also be respected at the UN. Choosing to respect one principle today and another tomorrow is unacceptable. All principles must be respected in their entirety and as a whole. We will continue working towards this end, even though resistance is strong 👉 #UNCharterIsOurRules

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#Антифейк

⚡Комментарий Посольства России в Швеции

❗️О фейковых обвинениях России и ситуации с украинскими детьми

Обратили внимание на очередную публикацию в шведских СМИ (газета «Дагенс Нюхетер»), где утверждается, что нашей страной якобы было депортировано с территории Донбасса примерно 35 тыс. детей, из которых «лишь нескольким сотням позволили вернуться» на Украину.

Эти цифры – откровенная ложь, которая была развенчана в том числе самой же украинской стороной, передавшей российским представителям в итоге список из 339 детей. В ходе тщательной проверки, как пояснил помощник Президента России В.Р.Мединский, выяснилось, что часть из них уже вернулась на Украину, некоторые никогда не были в России, а 50 человек и вовсе оказались взрослыми. Неоднократно якобы «похищенные» несовершеннолетние были в последствии обнаружены в европейских странах.

При этом украинские власти продолжают грубо нарушать международное гуманитарное право без оглядки на жертвы среди мирных жителей, в том числе детей. Только за 2024 г. от обстрелов и массированных налетов БПЛА на нашу территорию пострадало как минимум 347 несовершеннолетних, 51 ребенок погиб. За январь-март 2025 г. ранения различной степени тяжести получили еще 58 детей, четверо из них умерли.

Нашей страной, в том числе аппаратом Уполномоченного при Президенте Российской Федерации по правам ребенка М.А.Львовой-Беловой, ведется работа не только по спасению детей из-под украинских обстрелов, но и по возвращению детей в семьи, разлученные в ходе конфликта. Факты воссоединения детей с родными и близкими верифицируются сотрудниками Международного Комитета Красного Креста, Катаром и Ватиканом.

По последним данным 101 украинский ребенок из 81 семьи воссоединился с родственниками на Украине и в других странах, а в Россию с Украины вернулись 22 ребенка из 15 семей.

Чувствительная тема детей по-прежнему используется киевским режимом и его западными, в том числе шведскими пособниками в их попытках очернить Россию.
👉 Проверку фактами этот фейк не выдерживает.

⚡️ Kommentar av Rysslands Ambassad i Sverige

❗️Om falska anklagelser mot Ryssland och situationen med ukrainska barn

Vi har uppmärksammat ännu en artikel i svenska medier (tidningen ”Dagens Nyheter”), där det påstås att vårt land ska ha deporterat omkring 35 000 ukrainska barn från Donbass varav ”endast några hundra ska ha fått återvända” till Ukraina.

Dessa siffror är en uppenbar lögn, vilket även bekräftats av den ukrainska sidan själv, som slutligen överlämnade en lista med 339 barn till ryska representanter. Vid en noggrann granskning, som förklarades av Rysslands Presidentsrådgivare Vladimir Medinskij, framkom det att en del av barnen hade redan återvänt till Ukraina, några aldrig befunnit sig i Ryssland, samt att 50 personer på listan i själva verket var vuxna. Vid upprepade tillfällen har de minderåriga som påstods ha blivit ”bortförda” återfunnits efteråt i europeiska länder.

Samtidigt fortsätter den ukrainska ledningen att begå grova brott mot den internationella humanitära rätten utan någon hänsyn till civila offer, däribland barn. Enbart under år 2024 skadades minst 347 minderåriga och dödades 51 barn i drönarattacker och beskjutningar mot vårt territorium. Under perioden januari–mars 2025 har ytterligare 58 barn skadats i olika grad, varav fyra avlidit.

Ryska Federationen, inklusive presidentens kommissionär för barnets rättigheter Maria Lvova-Belova, arbetar inte bara med att evakuera barn undan från ukrainska attacker utan också med att återförena barn med deras familjer som splittrats till följd av konflikten. Fakta av återförening mellan barn och deras nära och kära verifieras av Internationella rödakorskommittén, Qatar och Vatikanen.

Enligt de senaste uppgifterna har 101 ukrainska barn från 81 familjer återförenats med sina släktingar i Ukraina och andra länder, medan 22 barn från 15 familjer har återvänt från Ukraina till Ryssland.

Den känsliga frågan om barn utnyttjas fortfarande av Kievregimen och dess västerländska – däribland svenska – medhjälpare i deras försök att svartmåla Ryssland.
👉Men denna fejk tål helt enkelt inte en faktagranskning.

📰 Article by Russia' Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ‘The Helsinki Act’s 50th anniversary: Expectations, reality, and future’

Published in Rossiyskaya Gazeta on August 1, 2025

✍️ Marking the 80th Anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War and WWII in 2025 serves as an occasion for us to recall and reaffirm the importance of peace which came at such a high cost for our forefathers. We must also be mindful of how fragile this peace architecture is. In fact, its integrity hinges upon the ability of countries and their people to engage in coordinated collective action.

Back in 1945, the year of Victory, major powers realised the need to overcome their differences for the sake of the humankind as a whole. This paved the way for establishing the United Nations as one of the key derivatives of this vision. In fact, the purposes and principles set out in the UN Charter remain relevant to this day and are in step with the reality of an emerging multipolar world order.

But there is another international event which happened precisely 50 years ago and is worth commemorating. This is when the Helsinki Final Act of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE) was signed. It became a landmark event in consolidating the post-war architecture based on the framework resulting from the Yalta and Potsdam conferences.

☝️ Those camping on unfriendly positions towards Russia seek to diminish and sweep under the carpet the fact that our country, which was the USSR at that time, played a leading role in the Helsinki process, while also distorting the objectives the Soviet leaders were pursuing. We are facing groundless and unappealing accusations of undermining the European security framework, and politicians in the EU and NATO have made no secret of their intention to re-write the outcomes of WWII and do not shy away from concocting barbaric fakes for that purpose.

Key points:

• Western countries have breached all the OSCE agreements on arms control and confidence-building measures. Russia has appealed to the conscience of Western elites more than once, inviting them to coordinate reliable security guarantees based on fundamental commitment adopted within the OSCE.

• Europe is deeply immersed in Russophobia, and its militarisation is essentially becoming uncontrollable. There are more than enough facts of this. <...> This brings historical events to mind: with their current leaders, modern Germany and the rest of Europe are transforming into a Fourth Reich.

• In recent years, the West has openly shown absolute contempt for the OSCE’s principles & embarked on the path of suppressing rivals through economic pressure, including unlawful unilateral measures against Russia, Belarus and any other country that strives to defend its legitimate national interests. The OSCE marked a decisive end to practical cooperation between the East and the West.

• The scale of accumulated OSCE problems is immense. Burdened by them, the Organisation has been side-lined in international affairs. The Vienna platform no longer offers space for cooperation or security. The architects of the Helsinki Final Act did not envisage such a future for the pan-European process. It is high time to consider whether such an Organisation has any reason to persist.

• Today, the ideas of sovereign equality of states and their mutually respectful dialogue – strangled in the OSCE – are being realised through multilateral cooperation projects within the CSTO, the CIS, #SCO, and other regional frameworks across Eurasia.

• As a strategic objective, Russia envisions forming a flexible and resilient architecture of equal & indivisible security and cooperation in Eurasia, capable of addressing contemporary challenges.

• There will be no future for the OSCE if NATO and EU countries do away with the consensus rule and continue using this platform with its headquarters in Vienna as their private mouthpiece for spreading shameless propaganda campaigns to demonise Russia & any other parties who break ranks, while backing their underlings in Kiev.

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