LONDON: Russian foreign minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday accused the West of “causing crises in many countries” around the world and exploiting international organizations for its own interest.
Speaking at the Moscow Conference on International Security (MCIS), Lavrov also accused the US of undermining the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons through its support of Ukrainian forces in its conflict with Russia.
He said NATO’s expansion eastward within Europe contradicted agreements regarding the continent’s security and said the West’s stance on the Ukrainian conflict “undermined international law and stability in all fields.”
He said Washington was putting pressure on Moscow’s allies to turn on Russia amid the conflict in Ukraine, while accusing the West of hypocrisy over its stance on the coup in Niger.
“The West supported the coup in Ukraine in 2014 and now opposes the same in Niger,” he told the conference.
Lavrov added that the current geopolitical situation made it difficult to combine efforts to “neutralize threats common to all mankind.”
He continued: “(This includes) the fight against international terrorism, especially against the (Islamic extremist) organizations, ISIS and Al-Qaeda, and extremist groups associated with them, which let’s not forget have arisen over the past decades as a result of the military adventures of the US and its allies.
“An end must be put to the use of terrorists for geopolitical purposes, whether in Afghanistan, Syria or elsewhere.”
Speaking at the same confernece, Russia’s defense minister Sergei Shoigu said Ukraine’s ability to fight had been “almost exhausted.” He added that the conflict had exposed vulnerabilities in Western weapons systems that Moscow would soon share.
“The preliminary results of combat operations show that Ukraine’s military resources are almost exhausted,” he said. “In the special military operation, the Russian army has debunked many myths about the superiority of Western military standards,” he added.
“We have data on … the destruction of German tanks, American armored vehicles, British missiles and other weapons systems,” he told MCIS delegates. “We are ready to share our assessments ... with our partners.”
