Sergei Lavrov, Russia's Foreign Minister, characterized the United States and Europe as exhibiting an attitude of superiority toward the rest of the world during the battle for influence in developing countries. He expressed Moscow's willingness to consider UN efforts to revive a Black Sea grain deal but deemed a recent proposal as impractical, Reuters reports.
Lavrov's comments followed a week of intense diplomatic activities at the United Nations' annual gathering of world leaders, where Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Western allies worked to garner support for Kyiv. Lavrov reported holding meetings with more than 30 countries during the week. Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the United Nations attributed the conflict to exacerbating a global food crisis, resulting in a new diplomatic front as Moscow and Kyiv vied for support among the most severely affected: impoverished and developing nations.
In his address to the 193-member UN General Assembly, Lavrov depicted a struggle between the global majority and a few nations employing colonial tactics to preserve their dwindling dominance.
A significant grain deal, brokered by the UN and Turkey in July 2022, briefly alleviated the food crisis by allowing the safe export of Ukrainian grain from the Black Sea and lowering global prices. However, Russia withdrew from the agreement two months ago, citing insufficient efforts to boost its own exports.
In response to a letter from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres outlining measures that the UN could undertake if Russia agreed to resume the Black Sea grain deal, Lavrov stated that the proposals were unrealistic and unimplementable.
Lavrov also contended that Ukraine's 10-point peace plan was entirely unworkable, suggesting that the conflict would persist on the battlefield if Ukraine and the West adhered to it.
Lavrov and Zelenskiy attended a UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine but did not cross paths. Lavrov announced plans to visit Pyongyang next month to continue negotiations with his North Korean counterpart following recent agreements between Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in Moscow.
Follow Daryo's official Instagram and Twitter pages to keep current on world news.
Comments (0)