At UNGA, Lavrov defends military operation in Ukraine; says Russia had 'no choice'

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Sergey Lavrov on Saturday addressed to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) and that Russia had "no choice" but to begin what the Government refers to as its 'special military operation' in Ukraine due to the "inability" of Western nations to negotiate and Kyiv's "war against its own people" in the east. According to the UN News, Lavrov noted that the operation, which began on February 24, was carried out to protect Russian citizens residing in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk and to eliminate threats to Russian security that the European Union and US-led NATO military alliance had repeatedly generated in the area.  

Referring to the military operation, Lavrov said, “I am convinced that any sovereign, self-respecting State would do the same in our stead, which understands its responsibility to its own people.” Furthermore, the Russian Foreign Minister said that the world's citizens would decide whether the future security, economic, and political architecture of the planet will continue to be dominated by the West and the golden billion or by progressive global forces. 

"We are meeting at a difficult and dramatic moment. Crises are growing, and the situation in the area of international security is deteriorating rapidly. Instead of having an honest dialogue and looking for compromises, what we're dealing with is disinformation, frame-ups and provocations," citing Lavrov, Sputnik reported.  

Sergey Lavrov accused West of undermining  confidence in international institutions

While addressing the UNGA, the Foreign Minister even claimed that Western powers have been trying to undermine confidence in international institutions and law as a protection for justice and the defense of the weak against the powerful, and pointing to this, he even asserted that these negative trends have been put "in concentrated form" and made public at the UN, jeopardising the values upon which the organization was founded. 

As the Donbas and other Russian-controlled territories held referendums over this weekend on joining the Russian Federation, Lavrov accused the West of having a tantrum over it.  

Referring to what Lavrov called "illegal unilateral sanctions" that violate the UN Charter and harm the poor citizens of poorer nations by targeting their imports of food, medicine, and vaccines, he claimed that the United States has been trying to turn the entire world into its "backyard" and was punishing those who disagreed with its worldview along with its allies, UN News reported.

According to Lavrov, NATO views Russia as only a danger to its dominance of the area and beyond, and there is currently a "crusade by the West against the objectionables." 

In addition, Minister Lavrov said that Russophobia had reached record heights as Western nations made no secret of their desire to defeat Russia militarily and attempt to "destroy and fracture Russia... What they want to do is to remove from the global map, a geopolitical entity, which has become all too independent.” He also warned nations outside of Europe and North America, saying that the Western alliance has been attempting to impose its will by extending its sphere of influence and hegemony into Asia, South America, and Africa. 

Meanwhile, Russian Minister Sergey Lavrov further praised the Black Sea Grain Initiative for releasing food and fertilizer from Russia and Ukraine to reduce price inflation and supply but claimed that the poorest nations were still not benefiting. He also criticised the US and EU once more for not doing more to remove "obstacles" to Russian exports that were, in his opinion, stuck in European ports. 

(Image: AP)