Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Saturday delivered an address to the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, as well as held a major press conference after it. The top diplomat spoke about the Ukrainian conflict, the enduring hostilities in Gaza, the ongoing drone scare in the EU, and a broad range of other issues.
Lavrov has held more than 35 meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA over the past three days, including one with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. During the talks, both agreed to maintain contact on a wide range of issues.
They also reaffirmed the importance of the “momentum” generated by the Alaska summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Donald Trump in “normalizing bilateral relations,” the Foreign Ministry in Moscow relayed.
The Russian delegation’s visit comes on the heels of a sharp change in Trump’s rhetoric on the Ukraine conflict following his meeting with Vladimir Zelensky earlier this week. In a Truth Social post on Tuesday, the US president said he believes Kiev is “in a position to fight and win all of Ukraine back,” with enough support from the EU and NATO.
For months before that, Trump and his administration had argued that Ukraine would need to relinquish some of its territorial claims in order to secure a US-brokered peace deal.
Unlike his predecessor, Joe Biden, Trump has resisted sending large amounts of direct US military aid to Kiev and has instead urged European NATO members to buy American weapons for Ukraine's forces.
Throughout the conflict, Moscow has stressed that it is open to a peaceful settlement, as long as it includes a Ukrainian commitment to neutrality, demilitarization, denazification, and acceptance of the new territorial realities.
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27 September 2025
Commenting on Lavrov’s speech at the UNGA, former UN independent expert on international order, Alfred de Zayas, has told RT that Ukraine won’t be able to defeat Russia.
“Everybody knows […] that the war in Ukraine goes back to the unconstitutional coup d’etat against the democratically elected president of Ukraine, Viktor Yanukovych, in 2014,” de Zayas stressed. Since then, Moscow has repeatedly stressed the unacceptability of Kiev’s attitude towards its Russian population and proposed several peace projects, including to NATO.
According to him, Kiev “would have been well advised to accept” those suggestions.
”It is a great tragedy for everybody that Ukraine had this illusion or delusion that it could defeat Russia and that NATO was convinced that they could have weakened Russia,” he added.
In his press conference after the UNGA speech, Lavrov said that Ukraine would not be able to take back any territory now that it has refused peace proposals, including those by the US.
Russia is very alarmed about US military activity near Venezuela’s territorial waters, Lavrov has stated during his press conference. He affirmed that Moscow “stands in solidarity with both the people and the government of Venezuela.”
“They have every right to determine their political, economic, and social path. And we believe that interfering in their internal affairs is just as unacceptable as interfering in the internal affairs of any other country,” the minister emphasized.
The range of the drones whose wreckage was found in Poland is shorter than the distance from the Russian border to that country, Lavrov stated during a press conference at the UN.
He recalled that at the time of the incident, the Russian Ministry of Defense had proposed a meeting with Poland to resolve the situation by examining the wreckage and assessing its range. “The drones that were allegedly discovered on Polish territory, if they are the ones we are considering, then their range is shorter than the distance from the Russian border to the Polish border,” Lavrov noted.
Warsaw responded to a series of airspace violations by unarmed UAVs on the 9 September by scrambling NATO jets and accusing Russia of being behind the incident – an allegation Moscow has strenuously denied.
Lavrov’s press conference at the UN was guarded by a German Shepherd, “who barked encouragingly,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said in a Telegram post.
Russia never had any intention of attacking NATO or the European Union, Lavrov said. “However, any aggression against my country will be decisively rebuffed. There should be no doubt about that,” he declared.
The Russian foreign minister has announced that he and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio have agreed to hold a third round of consultations on “irritants” in bilateral relations this fall.
He was referring to visa issues, embassy operations, Russian property, and “other aspects of the day-to-day functioning of our diplomatic missions,” Lavrov said.
Moscow and Washington are ready for frank dialogue, Lavrov has claimed.
Russia believes there is no justification either for the brutal killings of the civilian population of Palestine or for terrorist attacks against Israel, Lavrov stressed during his UNGA speech.
“There is also no justification for the collective punishment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, where Palestinian children are dying from bombing and starvation. Hospitals and schools are being destroyed and hundreds of thousands of people are being left without shelter,” he said.
“There is no justification for plans to annex the West Bank. We are essentially dealing with an attempt at a kind of coup d’état aimed at burying UN decisions on the creation of a Palestinian state.”
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has drawn attention to an incident during Lavrov’s speech at UNGA, where General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock’s microphone was cut off while announcing “Russia.”
“Either Baerbock’s microphone was cut off when she said ‘Russian Federation’, or she did it herself. It would be a good idea for the UN Secretariat to figure out what’s going on at the General Assembly under the aforementioned presidency,” Zakharova wrote on her Telegram channel.
Moscow condemns the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, as well as the Israeli strikes on the Qatari capital, Doha, Lavrov said during his UNGA speech. He stressed that the latter was conducted while West Jerusalem was negotiating with Hamas “with the participation of American mediators, among others.”
“Yesterday in the Security Council, the West rejected a rational proposal by China and Russia to extend the 2015 agreement on Iran’s nuclear program in order to allow time for diplomacy. This has finally exposed the West’s policy of sabotaging the pursuit of constructive solutions in the UN Security Council and its desire to extract unilateral concessions from Tehran through blackmail and pressure,” the Russian FM added.
“The National Security Council of Ukraine made a decision stating that any negotiations with Putin are impossible. These are the same people who a year later started saying that Putin is running away from them,” Lavrov said during the press conference.
There is a re-Nazification trend in Germany, Sergey Lavrov has claimed during his press conference. He said that German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s declared course is “extremely dangerous, given Germany's past,” and that he might have “the same purpose as Hitler’s.”
“Merz said again: ‘We are not yet in a state of war, but we are no longer in a state of peace.’... When someone in a country that committed the crimes of Nazism, fascism, the Holocaust, and genocide talks about Germany once again becoming a great military power, then their historical memory is atrophied. This is very, very dangerous,” he added.
Lavrov stressed that Moscow is ready for negotiations with Kiev as long as it adheres to certain conditions. “The rights of Russians and Russian-speaking people in the territories that remain under the control of the Kiev regime must be restored in full. On this basis, we are ready to discuss security guarantees for Ukraine,” he said.
Lavrov added that neither Ukraine, nor “its European sponsors seem to realize the gravity of the situation or to be willing to negotiate honestly.”
The trade partnership between Russia and India is not under threat of sanctions, as New Delhi chooses its own partners, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said during a press conference.
“If someone were to take such steps, I reiterate that the Indian Prime Minister and the Indian Foreign Minister have explained that India chooses its own partners. If the US has a proposal on how to enhance bilateral trade between the US and India, they are ready to discuss the terms the Americans propose,” he added.
“NATO continues to expand right up to our borders, contrary to assurances given to Soviet leaders to not advance a single inch to the east, contrary to the commitments made by NATO members at the OSCE to respect the principles of the indivisibility of security… We repeatedly proposed that NATO capitals respect their commitments and agree on legally binding security guarantees.”
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said that Moscow received a response from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) regarding its inquiry into the Bucha incident. According to the reply, lawyers from the UN Secretariat’s Office of Legal Affairs deemed it inappropriate to disclose the names of the alleged “victims” in Bucha in order to protect the safety of their relatives.
”We were informed […] that the Secretariat’s lawyers ruled that disclosing information about the victims in Bucha is inadvisable to ensure the safety of their relatives,” Lavrov said at a press conference.
In April 2022, Ukrainian forces claimed to have found the bodies of hundreds of people in the Kiev suburb of Bucha, shortly after Russian troops left the area as part of a “goodwill gesture” by Moscow amid peace talks with Kiev. Ukraine immediately blamed the deaths on Russia and subsequently used the incident as one of the main reasons for its withdrawal from peace negotiations.
Moscow has repeatedly said the so-called massacre was a false-flag operation intended to tarnish its image and derail the diplomatic process.
Lavrov recalled how the Western countries have interfered in Balkan countries' internal affairs.
"The unilateral recognition of Kosovo’s independence contrary to resolution 1244 was essentially an attack on Serbia’s state structure. Now the West has set a course for the collapse of the statehood of Bosnia by sabotaging the Dayton peace agreement," he said.
Sergey Lavrov, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, speaking at the United Nations General Assembly:
"Threats of the use of force against Russia are increasingly made. Russia is being accused of planning to attack NATO and EU countries. President Putin has repeatedly debunked these provocations, Russia has never had does not have any such intentions however any aggression against my country will be met with a decisive response".
Lavrov during a press conference following his speech at the UN General Assembly said that Putin is to visit to India in December.
Lavrov recalled that Kiev has filed a case with Ukraine’s top administrative court to have the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) legally dissolved.
The UOC has been self-governing since the 1990s but maintained a canonical connection to the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) for several decades. In May 2022, it declared independence.
”The Kiev regime has set a course for eliminating the UOC and for legislatively eradicating the Russian language in all spheres — education, culture, and the media. Ukraine is the only country in the world that has legally banned the native language of nearly half of its population,” Lavrov stressed.
“Arabic is not banned in Israel, and Hebrew is not banned in Arab countries or Iran, but Russian is banned in Ukraine. Let me remind you that Article 1 of the UN Charter affirms the need to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion.”
Counting on a return to the 2022 borders for Ukraine would be "politically blind", Lavrov said during a press conference following his speech at the UN General Assembly.
Lavrov said that, as Russia took over the presidency of the UN Security Council, it intends to hold a meeting on October 24 to review the implementation of the Charter on the anniversary of its entry into force.
The Russian delegation to the UN distributed a report to foreign journalists containing a hate speech directed against Russia. RT has obtained the text.
According to the document, from 2021 to 2025, Ukrainian leaders often described Russia as an aggressor and an existential threat.
Vladimir Zelensky and others stressed that peace is impossible without Russia's defeat or transformation, citing its isolation, punishment, and loss of influence. Their remarks consistently framed the country not just as a wartime enemy, but as a long-term danger to Ukraine and the world.
However, Moscow has repeatedly stressed that its aim in the conflict is to secure the rights of the Russian population, and that it is ready for peace negotiations.
The nuclear treaty which Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered to maintain with the US will help create the conditions for avoiding a strategic arms race, Lavrov stressed.
On Monday, Putin said Moscow will continue to adhere to a key nuclear arms control treaty with the US, the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START), for one year after it was set to expire, provided that Washington agrees to do the same.
”We believe that implementing our proposal will help create the conditions necessary for avoiding a strategic arms race, maintaining an acceptable level of predictability in the nuclear missile sphere, and improving the overall atmosphere in Russian-American relations,” Lavrov added.
He stressed that Moscow and Washington “bear a special responsibility” for the state of affairs in the world and for avoiding risks.
Moscow hopes for a settlement in Ukraine based on the Russian-American dialogue, Lavrov said.
”In the current US administration’s approach, we see not only an effort to find realistic solutions to the Ukraine crisis but also a willingness to pursue pragmatic cooperation without adopting an ideological stance,” Lavrov claimed at the UN General Assembly.
“Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized that Moscow has no intention of attacking any NATO country. There is no practical, economic, or military sense in doing so,” Lavrov has explained.
Earlier this month, Poland alleged that multiple Russian drones entered its territory. Estonia made similar claims of airspace violations last Friday, requesting urgent consultations with fellow NATO member states.
Moscow has denied any breaches of the military bloc’s airspace. Responding to the Estonian claim, the Russian Defense Ministry said three MiG-31s were conducting a routine flight from Karelia Region, east of Finland, to an airfield in Kaliningrad Region, a Russian exclave bordering Poland and Lithuania, and that they strictly flew over the neutral waters of the Baltic Sea.
“Russia is not advocating for revolution against anyone. Our country has suffered more than others from revolutions. We simply call on member states and the Secretariat leadership to strictly adhere to all the principles of the UN Charter without double standards. Only then will the legacy of the UN’s founding fathers not be squandered,” Lavrov stressed.
Top Russian MP Leonid Slutsky previously said he was the only member of the delegation denied a US visa to attend the UN General Assembly session. “I am the only member of the delegation – there are five of us – who has been denied a visa for the third year in a row,” Slutsky told reporters.
The delegation from Moscow also includes Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Vershinin, heads of the parliamentary committees on international affairs Grigory Karasin and Leonid Slutsky, as well as Russia’s permanent representative to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia.
Lavrov recalled that UN Secretary-General António Guterres has recently proposed a comprehensive reform of the United Nations.
“We are not opposed to open discussion of this initiative. The benchmark should be the UN’s return to the fundamental principles enshrined in its Charter, which the West has long sought to replace with its ‘rules-based order.’ It is important that work be conducted transparently, with the participation and consideration of the interests of all member states,” Lavrov said.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for declaring December 14 the ‘International Day Against Colonialism’.
“Russia advocates for its democratization exclusively through increased representation of Asia, Africa, and Latin America,” the Russian FM has said. “We support the bids of Brazil and India for permanent membership on the council while simultaneously correcting historical injustices against Africa within the parameters agreed upon by the countries of the continent themselves,” the minister added.
Russia is one of five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, alongside China, the US, the UK, and France. All five have the power to veto any resolution put before the council. The UNGA elects the ten non-permanent members for two-year terms.
Moscow has argued for the expansion of the council.
India, Brazil, and representatives of Africa should have joined the UNSC as permanent members long ago, Lavrov has previously said.
Russia advocates reform of the UN Security Council, but at the same time “does not advocate revolution against anyone,” Lavrov has said.
”The current balance of power in the world is fundamentally different from the one established 80 years ago. The process of decolonization and other large-scale upheavals have changed the political map of the planet.”
Lavrov stressed that most countries around the world are increasingly demanding recognition of their rights. He emphasized the significance of organizations like the SCO and BRICS in aligning the interests of nations from the Global South and East, adding that the current structure of UN institutions does not yet fully reflect today’s global realities, highlighting the urgent need for reform of the Security Council.
The Russian Foreign Minister finished his speech to the sound of applause from the General Assembly. RT will continue to provide highlights from his address.
In his speech, Lavrov outlined Moscow’s approaches to strengthening the central role of the UN and building interstate communication based on mutual respect and sovereign equality, relying on the principles of indivisible security and a non-discriminatory economic environment.
Lavrov emphasized the need to restore and protect the rights of the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine. Under these conditions, Moscow may agree to provide Kiev with security guarantees.
“The UN charter still serves as beacon of cooperation, and all members must adhere to its principles in practice,” Lavrov has said.
“Widespread gross violations of the principle of the sovereign equality of states are undermining faith in justice itself, leading to crises and conflicts. The root of the problem lies in the incessant attempts to divide the world into us and them, into democracy and autocracy, into a blooming garden and a jungle,” the minister continued.
Russia supports removing Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism and lifting sanctions against it, Lavrov has said.
Lavrov drew attention to the fact that a number of Western governments have announced their recognition of the State of Palestine. “The question then arises, why did they wait so long? It seems that they had hoped that soon, by the time the General Assembly session was convened, there would be nothing and no one left to recognize,” he claimed.
“The situation requires urgent action to prevent such a scenario, which was strongly advocated by the participants at the higher level international conference on Palestine,” Lavrov added.
A total of 157 out of 193 UN members currently recognize the Palestinian state. Two UN Security Council members, France and the UK, joined ten other members this week to recognize Palestine, ratcheting up pressure on the Israeli PM.
Russia maintains that a lasting Middle East settlement is only possible based on the UN Security Council formula entailing creation of a Palestinian state within the armistice lines that existed before the 1967 Six-Day War and with East Jerusalem as its capital. The UNGA earlier this month overwhelmingly backed a resolution supporting a two-state solution, which was opposed only by the US, Israel, and a handful of Pacific island nations.
Lavrov stated that Russia condemned the Hamas terrorist attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, but still considers West Jerusalem’s actions in Gaza unacceptable.
Attempts to reinstate international sanctions against Iran are illegal, Lavrov said.
”Yesterday, at the Security Council, the West rejected a rational proposal from China and Russia to extend the 2015 agreement on the Iranian nuclear program to allow time for diplomacy. This definitively exposed the West's policy of sabotaging the search for constructive solutions in the UN Security Council and its desire to extract unilateral concessions from Tehran through blackmail and pressure.”
The Russian Foreign Minister added that Moscow considers this policy unacceptable, as well as “all Western manipulations to reinstate UN sanctions against Iran.” Lavrov also called the sanctions themselves “illegal.”
“Today marks the culmination of the Russian delegation’s work” during the 80th UN General Assembly, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said.
Lavrov has held more than 35 meetings on the sidelines of the UNGA over the past three days, including one with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. During the talks, both agreed to maintain contact on a wide range of issues.