US Will Try to Destabilize Russia Ahead of Presidential Elections: Lavrov

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently said that the Western bloc's leaders in the US and UK see Russia as a threat, adding that Russia's approaches to cooperation with the West "changed a long time ago." Moscow no longer relies on the West's assurances and commitments, which were offered as an opportunity to forge a fruitful alliance.
Sputnik
The United States has set a goal to shake up Russia's internal politics on the eve of the presidential elections in Russia, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
"The vicious practice of interference in the internal affairs of sovereign countries does not stop, the forms of such interference are very diverse, including threats, blackmail, the organization of color revolutions. The bloody coup d'etat that succeeded in 2014 in Ukraine was tried to be repeated 6 years later in Belarus. Unsuccessful. They obviously will not stop there, they openly set a goal to undermine domestic political stability in our country, especially in the context of next year's presidential elections," Lavrov said during a meeting of the United Russia Party General Council commission on international cooperation and support of compatriots abroad.
As Lavrov stressed, the collective West, led by the United States, is waging an undeclared hybrid war against Russia.

"The Kiev regime is used as a tool, the Nazis in Ukraine are supplied with modern weapons, ammunition, instructors and mercenaries are sent there. The enemies declare their goals openly – to smash the Russian army on the battlefield, undermine our political and economic sovereignty, and push Russia to the margins of world politics," he emphasized. "This line fits into the common efforts of Washington and Brussels to maintain global dominance, they are trying to punish everyone who conducts foreign policy independently and rejects the notorious rules-based order. The Americans do not hide their intention to do everything possible to contain China."

Russian FM Lavrov: Russia Determined to Never Follow US-Imposed Rules
Russia's confrontation with Western countries has opened up new opportunities for cooperation with other countries, including the formation of mechanisms of interaction in various fields beyond the control of the West, the Russian Foreign Minister said.

"We will not integrate into mechanisms and schemes serving other people's interests, we form our foreign policy agenda independently. We are guided in our work in the international arena, first of all, by our own priorities, while respecting the universally recognized norms of international law contained in the UN Charter in their entirety and in all their interrelationships. We will measure our practical steps with the task of promoting the construction of a multipolar world order," the minister outlined.

The minister also stated that countries of the Global South and East "do not want to drag chestnuts out of the fire" for Western leaders, but strive for multipolarity and self-determination in international relations.

"The emerging multipolar world order reflects the natural, inalienable right of peoples to determine their own destiny... About 85% of the world's population lives in the countries of the global South and East, and almost all of them do not want to drag chestnuts out of the fire for some uncles from former metropolitans," the minister said.

The queue of states wishing to join the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) indicates the increasing role of these associations; it meets the interests of Russia, Lavrov stated.

"The long queue for joining, first of all, the BRICS, but also the SCO, clearly indicates the increasing role of these structures, which fully meets our interests. We will help like-minded people to reveal their creative potential," the head of Russian diplomacy said.

Lavrov noted that Russia intends to further "increase cooperation within the framework of such new-type multilateral associations as the SCO and BRICS, whose attractiveness is especially important for the world majority states, which, like Russia, are subject to discriminatory measures by the West."
He outlined that there is a lot of interest in Russia, both as a friend who helped many in the past, and as a modern country in the present.
"A country with which you can confidently build your future," Lavrov stressed.