IN BRIEF: Russian Foreign Minister on Ukraine conflict, Europe’s military buildup

Eastern Economic ForumIN BRIEF: Russian Foreign Minister on Ukraine conflict, Europe’s military buildup Sergey Lavrov also addressed the status of the Russian language and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region© Kristina Solovyova/POOL/TASSVLADIVOSTOK, September 3. /TASS/. Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke about the West’s position on the Ukraine settlement, NATO and European Union policies, and Germany’s militarization during a lecture organized by the Znanie Society at the Eastern Economic Forum (EEF). He also addressed the status of the Russian language and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, and the situation in the Asia-Pacific region. TASS has compiled the foreign minister’s key statements. West’s position on Ukraine The West’s position on Ukraine is disgraceful, as it disregards key provisions of the UN Charter: "The UN Charter states in its first article that everyone must respect human rights regardless of race, sex, language or religion. Moreover, Ukraine’s constitution still states that the state guarantees the rights of Russians and other national minorities. Nobody cares about that. They passed laws that contradict the UN Charter and the constitution, and everyone says these are supposedly European values. I consider the West’s position absolutely disgraceful." EU and NATO policies The North Atlantic Alliance is unlikely to survive much longer, as its attempts to find new reasons to extend its existence cannot continue indefinitely: "I don’t think the North Atlantic Alliance will last much longer. Its attempts to find new reasons to extend its existence, including by expanding its dominance into Southeast and Northeast Asia under the slogan of ‘containing China,’ cannot continue indefinitely. The Taiwan issue continues to gain momentum, and this effort will eventually run out of steam. Once again, voters will ask: What are we doing there?" European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is a "fuhrer" pulling Europe back toward Nazism: "We call European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen "Fuhrer Ursula." She is trying to pull powers and responsibilities into the European Commission that, under decisions by the European Union as a whole, were never transferred to Brussels and remain with national governments. This tendency is becoming increasingly pronounced." The European Union’s "open-door" policy has triggered a migration crisis for the bloc itself: "The dominance of newcomers is becoming a problem for domestic development. It is causing discontent among the native population, which is forced to pay taxes to support people who have arrived. Ukrainian citizens also fall into this category. EU countries have provided them with subsidies and benefits since the beginning of the special military operation, when they fled their country, and in some cases, these benefits significantly exceed the unemployment benefits available to those countries’ own citizens." Merz’s militaristic ambitions Lavrov was stunned by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s militaristic ambitions: "I was simply appalled. We saw the metastases of Nazism reemerging in Germany previously. But when Chancellor Merz said he would make Germany Europe’s leading military power again, I was simply appalled." "If this man does not understand what the word ‘again’ means in this context, that is of course very sad for Europe and extremely dangerous. Europe is once again becoming a source of ideas about national and racial superiority." Berlin has chosen to try to influence Russia by "strengthening support for fugitives": "The steps Germany has taken mean only one thing. Instead of maintaining open contacts that allow people to convey their culture and views, the Germans chose to support these fugitive agents." Germany is once again trying to "place everyone else under its control" and prevent individual EU countries from maintaining normal relations with Russia: "Germany is again trying to bring everyone else under its control and suppress any moves toward normal relations with Russia that still exist in some EU countries, even though there are only a few of them." Status of the Russian language in Ukraine Washington and "nobody at all" have never told Kiev that the Russian language must be "restored" or that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) should not face persecution: "Washington, and nobody else, has ever sent any signals to the Kiev regime that the Russian language must be restored or that the canonical church should not be targeted." Russia raised these issues with US officials during contacts, asking how they could support those engaged in "this purely racist, Nazi activity": "They say: there will be negotiations, and we will include all of this on the agenda. That is wrong. There are things that cannot be made conditional. The right to language and religion is one of them." AUKUS activities The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is ignoring risks associated with AUKUS, the military alliance of Australia, Britain and the United States, under pressure from the collective West: "We approach this issue carefully because failure to comply, or incomplete compliance, with IAEA standards carries the risk of spreading military nuclear technologies. Unfortunately, the current IAEA leadership seems to treat this rather lightly, clearly under extremely strong pressure from the United States and Britain." Situation in Asia Military cooperation among the United States, Japan and South Korea is growing: "Military cooperation among the United States, Japan and South Korea is expanding, with South Korea and, more recently, Japan under Prime Minister [Sanae] Takaichi increasingly interested in adding nuclear components, creating a risk of weapons of mass destruction proliferation." Russia hopes that President Donald Trump will be able to ease tensions around the Korean Peninsula, but the substance of the US policy in the region is to contain North Korea: "The Korean Peninsula also plays an important role. Despite the zigzags in President Trump’s policy toward the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, he recently said that he gets along very well with Kim Jong Un, that they are friends and that he is ready to meet and communicate with him. But of course, the US is pursuing a policy of containing the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on the Korean Peninsula. God willing, they will manage to ease tensions." The Asia-Pacific region poses the West with a range of challenges in terms of preserving its dominance: "They do not hide this. Everyone that develops relatively independently is facing pressure from the West. I am not even talking about China, Russia or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, but even countries that remain relatively independent and continue to maintain trade, economic, cultural and educational ties with Russia despite the pressure are facing it, again based exclusively on the West’s philosophy of dominance." RIC format The work of the RIC format, comprising Russia, India and China, is being revived: "We are restoring this three-way format now. It has operated quite regularly all these years since 1998 without interruption, except during the COVID pandemic." Russia has numerous plans with India and China, particularly in nuclear energy: "We have a great many plans with both China and India. I would single out nuclear energy." TagsForeign policySergey LavrovEastern Economic ForumEastern Economic ForumNorway's seizure of Russian vessel is ‘real piracy’ - MFARussian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said this is precisely one element of this new Western interpretation of maritime affairs, or the maritime agendaRead moreRussian senior diplomat discusses Arctic, NATO’s preps for military conflict with MoscowAlexander Grushko pointed out that the West had declared the Arctic a zone of geopolitical competition and is determined to secure military superiority thereRead morePutin’s key statements at meeting with outgoing State Duma deputiesThe Russian leader noted that, despite external constraints, the country is holding steady in the global tech race, and that the Russian financial system is currently stableRead moreEAEU free trade deals with Indonesia, UAE to take effect very soonRussian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk also noted that several rounds of talks have been held with India on concluding an agreementRead morePutin says Far East, Arctic demonstrating positive development trendsThe head of state noted that the regions' development rates exceeded the national average across a number of key indicatorsRead moreLeipzig drone drama aims to distract Europeans from EU decline — Russian missionThe mission stressed that when Russia’s charge d’affaires was summoned to the European External Action Service over the Leipzig incident, EU authorities sponsoring Ukraine "were directly told of the terrorist nature of the Kiev regime"Read moreEurope has few options left to exert pressure on Russia — WSJAccording to the newspaper, decisive and meaningful diplomatic measures have largely been exhaustedRead moreICAO to update recommendations on protecting civil aviation in zones of armed conflictThe updated documents will focus on how authorities and airlines and air navigation services providers can better assess threats from malicious activitiesRead moreTrump says merely suggested renaming Strait of Hormuz after himselfEarlier, the White House posted an excerpt of a map showing the Strait of Hormuz labeled "Trump Strait"Read moreBelgium realizes EU plans to rob it as well as Russia — GrushkoAlexander Grushko described plans to use Russian assets as robberyRead moreTop Russian diplomat dismisses Europe’s fears of Russian attackRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that he West "needs an enemy all the time"Read moreEnsuring safety of refineries and maintenance schedules: statements by NovakThe Russian Deputy PM revealed that oil companies were allocating funds to protect oil refineries and interacting with the Defense MinistryRead morePeacemaking with Russia is Ukraine's only chance to survive, says Russian senator"By attempting to force Russia to make peace on Ukraine's terms, Kiev is moving ever closer to a situation where peace terms will be determined by anyone but a weakened and decimated Ukraine," Alexander Voloshin saidRead moreUS destroyed 28 ships in Strait of Hormuz on night of September 1, Trump saysAccording to the US leader, the United States control the Strait of HormuzRead moreKiev loses some 1,330 troops along engagement line in past day — Russia’s top brassThe Russian troops has established control of the Kazachya Lopan settlement in the Kharkov Region and Svyatogorsk in the DPRRead moreRussia will not buy double-dealing calls for Ukraine ceasefire by EU, NATO — envoyRussian Ambassador to Belgium Denis Gonchar reiterated Moscow’s continuous commitment to achieving a long-term and sustainable solution to the Ukraine crisisRead moreIN BRIEF: What to know of Zelensky’s threats to Russian civil aviation, Moscow’s responseRussian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin highlighted that the ministry is constantly strengthening flight and airport security requirements and stands ready to respond to any threatRead moreBy talking about civil aviation hazards, Zelensky counts on revolt in Russia — LavrovThe Russian foreign minister said that efforts to undermine Russia are directed through "the Kiev regime’s atrocities"Read moreRussian pilots strike Ukrainian UAV control post in Sumy Region with X-39 missileThe target was destroyed by the strikeRead moreImportant not to stifle economic growth — PutinThe Russian president noted that the Central Bank and the government are deliberately taking measures to curb inflationRead morePutin believes there is chance for settlement in UkraineThe Russian leader said Moscow is grateful to everyone who is trying to contribute to resolving this issueRead moreWestern investors’ support for Fyodorov to turn Ukraine into testing ground — expertVitaly Kiselev emphasized that Mikhail Fyodorov’s statements in foreign media about his desire to help the West create a "drone army" should be taken very seriouslyRead moreMaduro’s defense requests court to lift charges, citing sovereign immunityIn line with the international law, heads of state and high-ranking officials are granted personal immunity from criminal prosecutionRead moreNo plans to initiate downgrade in diplomatic ties with Germany — Kremlin spokesmanGermany has also not announced any such plans, Dmitry Peskov saidRead moreWhat we know about FIS ruling on Russian athletes’ reinstatement at int’l tournamentsAthletes from Russia will compete as neutrals at international competitionsRead moreDeath toll from US Tuesday strikes rises to 18, injured to 108 — authoritiesExplosions were heard on the country’s southern coast, including on Qeshm Island and in several citiesRead morePlacido Domingo to perform with Russian conductor Yuri Bashmet in MoscowThe concert’s program will feature musical pieces of different genres, which Domingo has performed over the course of his 60-year careerRead moreWorld going through period of economic, geopolitical transition — RubioAccording to the US State Secretary, in foreign policy, one often has to choose not between "a perfect answer and a bad answer," but between "two less-than-ideal approaches"Read moreWhat is known about shootout involving security service officers in KievDuring the initial investigation, the SBU stated that the detainees belonged to one of the Ukrainian Defense Forces unitsRead moreBy attacking Energodar, Zelensky tries gain leverage in negotiations with Russia — expertAndrey Marochko called Energodar a "pain point" for Ukrainian militantsRead moreYerevan unwelcome in EU, which is why Pashinyan is delays plebiscite — Armenian economist According to Grant Mikaelyan, the Armenian PM tells domestic audiences that a referendum should be held, while suggesting in statements addressed to Russia that it should not take placeRead morePutin warns against attempts to 'devour' Russia, slams Kiev’s actions as state terrorismRussia will find a way to respond if the Kiev regime’s threats against civilian aviation materialize, the head of state emphasizedRead moreAnalysts downgrade forecast for Russia’s GDP growth in 2026 from 0.6% to 0.5%Expectations for the average key rate in 2026 remained at 14.5%Read moreNew sanctions against Russia to further hurt EU itself — GrushkoRussian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stressed that these sanctions will add nothing and essentially change nothing in the current state of affairsRead moreSituation with fuel in Russia and global oil demand: statements by NovakRussia continues to import gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel, the official notedRead moreMiddle East’s biggest shipping hub at risk amid Hormuz blockade — FTThe port and free-trade zone alone is responsible for more than a fifth of the emirate’s GDPRead moreICAO notes growing risk of weapons use against civil aircraftLong-range weapons systems, unmanned aircraft systems, global navigation satellite system radio frequency interference, and advanced air defense systems are among the military technologies jeopardizing civilian aviationRead moreUS-Saudi deal allows uranium enrichment of up to 20% — WSJAccording to the newspaper, the agreement does not automatically authorize uranium enrichment in Saudi ArabiaRead moreThird attempt to impeach Trump virtually inevitable — newspaperAccording to the newspaper, the consensus is that Republicans "are all but certain to lose their very narrow House majority"Read moreGang planned to kidnap footballer Mbappe in France — Le ParisienThe planned crimes targeted 26 people, the newspaper’s source saidRead moreCrew of Russian ship seized in Svalbard safe — ministerAlexey Chekunkov assured that the legal team of the ship’s owner will issue a formal legal response soonRead moreCountries need to make stronger commitments to defending civil aircraft — ICAOThe International Civil Aviation Authority also added that the "risk of weapons targeting civilian planes grows worldwide"Read morePutin begins meeting with Indonesian counterpartPreviously, the two leaders met in Moscow in AprilRead moreUS reconnaissance aircraft flies over Barents Sea for several hoursThe aircraft are a Boeing RC-135W Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft and a Boeing KC-135R Stratotanker, both operated by the US militaryRead moreWest openly encourages Kiev’s terrorist acts — LavrovSergey Lavrov stressed that attempts are being made to orchestrate various provocative acts through the West’s diplomatic presence in RussiaRead moreInterceptor drone reaching speed up to 1,000 km/h is revolutionary development — expertThe drone acquires its target using machine vision and a thermal imagerRead moreRussia will never beg Europe to lift sanctions — top diplomatRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russia has never constructed walls or isolated itself from EuropeRead moreUK Parliament member dismisses claims of Russian threatLabor MP Diane Abbott pointed out that it is a NATO fiction to justify their complete capitulation to Donald Trump's demands for more military spendingRead moreUkrainian attack damages substation supplying Energodar — mayorThere are no casualties, Mayor Maxim Pukhov saidRead moreBerlin provides zero evidence of Russian involvement in Leipzig incident — ambassadorThe Russian Embassy in Berlin earlier described the incident as a hastily fabricated provocationRead moreBerlin using drone incident to divert attention from domestic problems — lawmakerBy closing the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin, the German government is continuing to drive the spiral of escalation against Russia, co-chair of the Left Party group in the Bundestag Soren PellmannRead morePutin says Far East should be territory for cooperation"The region is a powerful center of growth and sets the pace for the development of the global economy," the Russian leader saidRead moreRussian expedition to keep working in Svalbard after ship’s seizureThe vessel is prohibited from leaving its current locationRead moreUkrainian attacks on DPR kill four people, injure five over past 24 hoursFive civilian infrastructure facilities, a bus, specialized equipment, four trucks, and five passenger cars were damagedRead moreWork on contract to build NPP in Vietnam in full swing — RosatomAccording to Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev, the Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactor has been selected for the projectRead morePutin calls Indonesia Russia's key partner in Southeast AsiaThe Russian president recalled that the countries had signed a free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and IndonesiaRead moreGazprom CEO describes Europe’s gas reserves by saying 'winter will come'Gas inventories in European underground storage facilities (UGS) are at their lowest level since records began in 2011Read moreKiev troops shell DPR 28 times in past day, four killedFive civil infrastructure sites, multiple cars and trucks, a bus and special vehicles were damaged as a result of these attacksRead moreG20 countries agree that AI may help reduce non-tariff barriers in tradeAccording to a consensus statement, AI technologies may help to streamline global tradeRead moreICAO urges member countries to share intel on civil aviation threatsThe International Civil Aviation Organization also stressed that member states must strengthen risk assessment mechanisms and improve coordination between military and civilian authoritiesRead moreRussian economy is in state of 'overcooling' — GrefHerman Gref added that Sberbank also intends to provide all possible assistance to marketplaces and sellers affected by drone attacksRead moreBelgium to keep blocking Russian asset expropriation — foreign ministerMaxime Prevot stressed that the majority of EU countries opposed the ideaRead moreRussia to close Goethe-Institut offices in Russia in response to Russian House closureSergey Lavrov went on to say that Germany made the decision to close the Russian House in Berlin and the Consulate General in Bonn under the false pretext that the drone that crashed in Leipzig was allegedly RussianRead morePress review: NATO excludes Russia from drone probes as Japan pursues remilitarizationTop stories from theRussian press on Wednesday, September 2ndRead moreIN BRIEF: What is known about summoning of German Charge d'Affaires to MFAAccording to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Bernd Finke was told that Russia resolutely rejects Germany's completely trumped-up accusations regarding the incident in LeipzigRead moreUS destroys new Iranian weapons near Strait of Hormuz — TrumpThe US leader noted that Iran had been trying to rebuild its radar and missile systemsRead moreRussia trains group of servicemen to guard Madagascar’s leadershipTransitional Malagasy Prime Minister Mamitiana Rajaonarison said that equal partnership, Russia’s transfer of expertise and assistance in modernizing the Malagasy military infrastructure indicates successful bilateral cooperationRead morePutin addressing plenary session of Eastern Economic ForumIndonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Mongolian Prime Minister Nyam-Osoryn Uchral, Myanmar’s First Vice President Nyo Saw, and Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang will also address the sessionRead moreRussia, North Korea to launch direct road link very soon — Transport MinistryAccording to the Russian Transport Minister Andrey Nikitin, the launch of a direct road link between the two countries will streamline logistics, help increase bilateral trade and reduce transportation costs for businessesRead moreSJ-100 to be certified next spring, deliveries to begin next year — ministerAccording to the Russian Industry and Trade Minister Anton Alikhanov, a total of 28 SJ-100 planes are currently at various stages of productionRead moreMerz seeking to gain support in Germany through anti-Russian measures — KremlinAccording to Dmitry Peskov, it turns out extremely clumsyRead moreBattlegroup North destroys over 240 Ukrainian dugouts, deployment sites near KharkovAccording to the serviceman with the call sign Grif, Battlegroup North strikes the Ukrainian armed forces’ dugouts and temporary deployment sites, using attack UAVs, including FPV dronesRead moreTrump looking forward to discuss many 'good, productive' issues with Xi JinpingOfficial Washington has publicly signaled on several occasions that it hopes for a return visit by the Chinese President this fallRead moreFACTBOX: What to know about Russian Foreign Ministry summoning German charge d’affairesBernd Finke left the ministry building after an hourRead moreWarehouse with dual-use goods, energy infrastructure hit: strikes by Russian Armed ForcesThe Russian Armed Forces hit the Stellar Jet logistics center near the Vishnevoye settlement in the Kiev region using Geran-4 Seeker dronesRead moreUp to Russia, Ukraine to reach agreement, while others can only assist — PutinThe Russian president noted that that the People's Republic of China, for example, constantly pays attention to this and does everything possible to ensure that the problem is resolvedRead moreFrench Foreign Ministry spreads false accusations against Russia — embassyRussian charge d'affaires Alexander Zezyulin expressed disappointment that the French Foreign Ministry has resorted to summoning the head of the Russian diplomatic mission in France on issues that have no bearing whatsoever on either Russia or FranceRead moreAnti-Russian actions by Germany to draw tough response — MFAGermany’s decision to close the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and the Russian House in Berlin marks another step toward the final destruction of Russia-Germany relations, the Russian Foreign Ministry saidRead morePutin notes Trump’s positive attitude towards constructive workThe Russian president stated that Moscow supports the restoration of full-scale relations with WashingtonRead moreAttempts to destabilize society take place in Russia ahead of parliamentary vote — LavrovAccording to the Russian foreign minister, the West makes no secret of itRead moreEnvoy says Russia won't soon forget Germany's unfriendly moves against itSergey Nechayev recalled that no other country in Western Europe had received as many benefits from closer ties and cooperation with RussiaRead moreRussia has will, resources to respond to EU over frozen assets — GrushkoRussian Deputy Foreign Minister said such actions would also undermine the EU's reputationRead morePutin gives start to several major national enterprises at Eastern Economic ForumIn particular, Russia's first full-cycle copper mining and processing plant has been established in the Trans-Baikal regionRead moreWest does not want agreements, has replaced diplomacy with sanctions — LavrovThe Russian foreign minister said that the West wants to dictateRead morePutin to address Eastern Economic Forum’s plenary sessionRead moreNorway seizes Russian vessel Professor Molchanov in SvalbardThe vessel is prohibited from leaving its current location pending a relevant decision by the Governor of SvalbardRead moreNorwegian law enforcement made no contact with seized ship’s expedition membersThe vessel is prohibited from leaving its current location pending a relevant decision by the Governor of SvalbardRead moreAgreeing to freeze conflict in Ukraine would mean revival of Nazism — Lavrov"It would be betraying our ancestors, who defeated Nazism in 1945," the Russian foreign minister said Read moreGerman authorities want to help Kiev obtain coordinates of targets in Russia — Der SpiegelThe magazine recalled that, following the drone incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport, Berlin decided to step up military support for KievRead moreBRICS overtakes G7 in economic output, successfully finances development — expertDirector of the Global South Program at the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft Sarang Shidore noted that BRICS had succeeded in creating the first truly transcontinental club outside the wealthy WestRead moreKremlin spokesman responds to Bessent's statement on Russian-Iranian relations"It is unlikely that the United States can or should monopolize its relations with any one country," Dmitry Peskov saidRead moreUS in talks with Ukraine on use of its drone technology — RubioThe secretary of state stressed that the US is constantly looking for ways to strengthen its own defensesRead moreEU rapidly losing its advantages, many countries may review accession plans soon — LavrovIn terms of economy, the European Union is losing its competitive advantages because of many reasons, including its short-sightedness, if not outright stupidity, Russian Foreign Minister saidRead moreUS military operation against Iran could extend into 2027 — WSJNineteen US Navy ships, fighter squadrons, air defense units, and paratroopers are operating in the Middle East, the newspaper notedRead moreWitkoff, Kushner fully focused on peace agreements — RubioThe US State Secretary revealed that the administration had assembled separate teams for every foreign policy areaRead moreNATO desperately looking for reasons to continue its artificial existence — LavrovThe Russian foreign minister noted that NATO was supposed to dissolve itself after the collapse of the Soviet UnionRead moreOver 70 drones heading for Moscow shot down since midnight — TASS calculationsEmergency response personnel are working at the sites where debris fell, Sergey Sobyanin saidRead moreKiev’s use of expensive IRIS-T missiles against UAVs impractical — expert"One such missile costs about €400,000," Alexander Stepanov said Read moreUS investigates circumstances of strike on wedding in Iran — NBCAn expert of arms intelligence firm Armament Research Services said that, in his opinion, the attack probably involved US air-delivered precision guided weaponsRead moreLavrov plans to discuss Bucha topic with UN secretary-generalSergey Lavrov added that Russia always raises the question of Bucha at its news conferences on the sidelines of the UN General AssemblyRead moreUnder guise of evacuating Kherson, Kiev sends untrained men to front — military expertAndrey Marochko сlarified that men from the Kherson region are being sent to difficult sections of the frontRead more