"We do not justify shelling of commercial ships, no matter how these shellings are justified. But we also cannot justify the aggressive actions that, under this pretext, the United States and the United Kingdom are taking against the territory of Yemen, without having any international mandate for this," Lavrov said at a joint press conference with the prime minister of Yemen's internationally recognized government, Ahmed Awad bin Mubarak.
Actions by the United States and the United Kingdom disrupt peace efforts in Yemen, the minister added.
"We are concerned that until the armed confrontation ends and the situation in the Red Sea is stabilized, it is unlikely that it will be possible to begin the implementation of the so-called road map for a Yemeni settlement and launch an inclusive nationwide dialogue under the auspices of the United Nations," Lavrov also said.
In light of this, the "military adventure" by Washington and London in Yemen is derailing diplomatic efforts of Saudi Arabia, Oman and the UN secretary-general's special envoy Hans Grundberg, the top Russian diplomat added.
The Houthi movement, which control large parts of northern and western Yemen, vowed in November 2023 to attack any ships associated with Israel until it halts military actions in the Gaza Strip. This led US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to announce the creation of a multinational operation to secure navigation in the Red Sea. US and UK forces later launched major strikes against Houthi positions in a bid to degrade the rebels' ability to target commercial vessels.