Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, during a press conference summarizing Russia’s 2024 diplomatic efforts, described an ongoing global struggle between proponents and opponents of multipolarity. He criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration for attempting to damage relations with Moscow in its final days and accused the West of exploiting other nations for profit. Lavrov also confirmed that Russia is open to discussing security guarantees for Ukraine.
He accused Biden’s team of taking steps to complicate relations before leaving office, such as pressuring Serbia to remove Russian investments from its oil industry. Lavrov criticized NATO’s strengthening under Biden, claiming that Ukraine is being used as a proxy to wage war against Russia.
Lavrov acknowledged Donald Trump as the first Western leader to openly admit NATO’s dishonesty regarding security agreements and stated that Russia would wait for concrete proposals from the new administration concerning Ukraine.
On energy, Lavrov accused the US of employing aggressive methods to suppress rivals and targeting European energy security. He also called for reform in the UN Security Council, advocating permanent membership for India, Brazil, and African nations.
