Russian FM on 2024 Foreign Policy Results: Key Highlights From Annual Press Conference

At his overview press conference in Moscow, the Russian foreign minister answered questions regarding the activities of the Russian Foreign Ministry and Moscow's position on a wide range of regional and global issues.

Here are the key statements of Foreign Minister Lavrov on President-elect Donald Trump, confrontation with the West, multipolarity, relations with the US and the Ukrainian crisis and other issues of the global agenda.

On Confrontation With West and Multipolarity

Western countries are "sliding down a slippery slope" because they don't want to compete fairly, Foreign Minister Lavrov emphasized.

The United States is encouraging Ukraine to incapacitate the TurkStream just like the Nord Stream pipelines, according to the Russian foreign minister.

"I have a very strong conviction — the United States does not need any competitor in any area, starting with energy, where they, without hesitation, give the go-ahead to carry out terrorist activities to destroy the basis of the energy well-being of the European Union, where they incite their Ukrainian customers to follow the Nord Stream pipelines. Now also, the TurkStream should be incapacitated," he said.

On Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry said that on January 11, Ukraine had attempted to attack a Turkish Stream compressor station near Russia's Anapa in the Krasnodar Territory with the help of nine drones in order to stop gas supplies to European countries.

Moreover, the US and EU are twisting Serbia's arms, demanding that it betray Russia, while Russia is interested in ties with Serbia based on the interests of both states, Sergey Lavrov stated.

"We are interested in our relations with Serbia being based solely on the interests of the Serbian and Russian peoples, on the interests of our states, which in the vast majority of issues coincide," the head of Russian diplomacy pointed out.

The administration of US President Joe Biden is trying to leave a bad legacy for US President-elect Trump's administration by imposing sanctions against the Serbian energy company, Lavrov added.

"We are in contact with Serbian friends; we have requested urgent contacts. We hope that we will receive a reaction as soon as possible," he said.

On Friday, the United States imposed sanctions on Serbian oil company NIS, whose majority is owned by Russian energy giant Gazprom Neft.

Now the world is witnessing the height of the battle between multipolarity and those for whom the UN Charter does not apply, the foreign minister continued, adding that Moscow believes that the UN Charter does not need to be improved in terms of its principles.

"The [UN] Charter — I am deeply convinced — does not need any improvements in terms of principles, the principles of equality and self-determination of peoples, the sovereign equality of states, ensuring the territorial integrity of those states whose governments behave decently, respect the rights of all nations inhabiting the country," Lavrov told a press conference.

All countries must fully comply with the UN Charter, rather than select certain provisions from it based on preferences, the minister said.

Commenting on changes necessary for the UN, the minister also said that it is high time that India, Brazil and African countries receive a permanent seat in the UN Security Council, but not Germany and Japan.

Further, telling journalists about the UN's attempts to resolve the Cyprus crisis, Lavrov called ex-UN General Secretary Kofi Annan a good friend and a great secretary general.

On Relations With US

In the matter of the US buying Greenland, Lavrov highlighted the need to respect Greenlanders' opinions.

"I think we should hear out the Greenlanders first," he said.

In December, US President-elect Donald Trump, who is due to assume office on January 20, called it "an absolute necessity" for the United States to own Greenland, while Greenlandic Prime Minister Mute Egede responded that the island was not for sale.

Moscow and Beijing advocate for respecting the interests of all partners globally, while the Western interpretation of democracy is "I will do what I want," the Russian foreign minister said, referencing Secretary of State Blinken's remarks about excluding countries from "the democratic table" that are not aligning with Western policies.

Cooperation between Russia and China is one of the key stabilizing factors of the international situation, Sergey Lavrov said, emphasizing the importance of mutual respect.

"There is no doubt that the Russian-Chinese link is one of the main stabilizing factors in modern international life and those processes that are unfolding, including to escalate confrontation and hostility in international affairs, which our neighbors from NATO under the leadership of the United States are doing," he stated.

However, the decision of the United States and Armenia to sign a document on strategic partnership is a sovereign decision, the Russian top diplomat pointed out.

Earlier in the day, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Ani Badalyan said that Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will sign a document on strategic partnership in Washington later in the day.

"I heard that Ararat Mirzoyan signed an agreement with Blinken, an agreement on strategic partnership, but, again, this is a sovereign decision of the two states. The main thing is not what was signed or what it is called, but what follows from it," Sergey Lavrov told the reporters on Tuesday.

On President-Elect Donald Trump

US President-elect Donald Trump was the first Western politician to honestly admit that NATO lied to Russia about not expanding to the East, Sergey Lavrov remarked.

"President Trump himself, in his big interview, also mentioned the root causes of the conflict in the part where it concerns dragging the Kiev regime into NATO, contrary to the agreements that were reached both through Soviet and then Russian-US agreements and relations and within the OSCE," he explained.

NATO was doing exactly what it had promised not to do, Lavrov added.

"And Trump said so. For the first time, honest admissions were made not only by a US leader, but by any Western leader, in fact, that NATO members were lying when they signed numerous documents," the minister concluded.

Moscow expects the new administration of US President-elect Donald Trump to formulate its approaches to global problems, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday.

"We expect that the new team will formulate its approaches to international affairs. I understand that President Trump has such a desire; he has spoken about it. But we also understand that the future president has a huge responsibility for the state of affairs in his country, given the legacy that he receives; in particular, in California, in Los Angeles, it is terrible what is happening to people there," Lavrov said, adding that the outgoing administration leaves a difficult legacy.

Russia will study the US president-elect's final position on Ukraine when he formulates it after his inauguration, the Russian foreign minister noted.

"When [...] Trump formulates his final position on Ukrainian affairs once he takes office, of course, we will study it," Lavrov told a press conference.

Commenting on Trump's remark about the need to reach a settlement based on the situation on the ground, the minister said that it deserves to be welcomed, adding that Russia expects concrete initiatives on Ukraine from the new Trump administration.

If Trump "makes America even greater" upon taking office, Russia should follow closely what methods he will use to achieve this goal, Lavrov said.

"If Trump makes America even greater upon assuming office as president, we will have to look very carefully at the methods by which this goal, proclaimed by president Trump, will be achieved," the top diplomat noted.

There have been no proposals from the team of US President-elect Donald to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin yet, Lavrov added.

"We will wait for concrete initiatives. President Putin has said many times that he is ready to meet, but there have been no proposals yet," he noted.

On Ukrainian Crisis

Russia is ready to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine, but a settlement requires agreement on larger security issues, the Russian top diplomat stated.

"Threats on the western flank, on our western borders, must be eliminated as one of the main root causes. They can probably be eliminated only in the context of broader agreements. We are ready to discuss security guarantees for the country, which is now called Ukraine, which has not yet self-determined, unlike Crimea, Donbas and Novorossiya, but for all the importance of this aspect of security, the Eurasian context will be dominant," he pointed out.

Turkey has offered to mediate in possible future settlement talks in Ukraine, the Russian foreign minister revealed.

"Many people are offering their services, and Turkey, of course, which has already been the place where an agreement was practically reached. Not practically, but it was reached," he said.

Vietnam has also proposed to host negotiations on Ukraine, and Russia is thankful to Vietnam for it, Sergey Lavrov pointed out.

"We heard that Vietnam is ready to host even negotiations. We are grateful for this; we really appreciate the attitude of our Vietnamese friends. But we cannot comment on anything now, because there are no specific proposals, and the tasks that we are solving must be completed," the minister continued.

Lavrov compared Biden's announcement of a 50-nation coalition in support of Kiev to the way Napoleon and Hitler rallied the nations of Europe against Russia.

"These parallels are obvious. Napoleon seized Europe and used it in order to go and win Russia. The same happened with Hitler's Germany when dozens of countries, occupied countries, countries that were occupied by the Germans, sent their militaries in order to destroy the Soviet Union," the Russian foreign minister explained.

When Biden made his recent statement on foreign policy, he said proudly they have managed to strengthen NATO and the allies and that 50 countries were recruited in order to help Ukraine, Lavrov noted.

"But in reality, [it's] the fight against Russia, so history repeats itself," the top diplomat emphasized.

Ukraine's Zelensky's adequacy is "a separate issue," Lavrov noted, citing his past statements and obscene language toward Russian peacekeepers.

On Syrian Shift of Power

Russia is in daily contact with the new Syrian authorities and is ready to assist in improving the situation in the country, Foreign Minister Lavrov pointed out.

"Our embassy has not left Damascus; it has daily contacts. We are ready to be useful in efforts to normalize the situation, and this, of course, requires an inclusive national dialogue in Syria," Lavrov told a press conference on the overview of Russian diplomacy in 2024.

The Astana format on Syria can play a role in this, the minister added.

"I talked with our colleagues from Turkey, from the Gulf countries; they have now held their second meeting... where Arabs, Turkey, and some Western countries participated. They proceed from the fact that Russia, China, and Iran must definitely be involved in this process," Lavrov said.

On West's Discrimination Against Sputnik and RT Media Outlets

Russian Foreign Minister also spoke out about the West's discrimination against Sputnik and RT news outlets.

"Even before the special military operation in Ukraine, [...] We asked the French: Why don't you accredit Sputnik and RT to the White House? And they replied: because they are not media, but propaganda tools. I'm not joking," Lavrov recalled.

Western countries prohibit any information critical of the authorities, while in Russia there are restrictions, but they are strictly regulated.

"Yes, we have certain restrictions, but they are clearly regulated - socially dangerous things, especially concerning children, concerning our traditional values. But in the case of the West, any information that is critical of the actions of the authorities, that is not only critical, but based on facts, is closed there," Sergey Lavrov concluded.