West knows no bounds to aggression, tries to resolve issues by force — Lavrov

Lead

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused the West of pursuing an aggressive policy with no limits, while Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said Western-dominated international platforms have lost credibility. Their remarks came in a series of statements delivered at party meetings and in an interview with a Chinese media outlet.

Coverage comparison

All statements reported by TASS — English depict Russia’s top officials as uniformly critical of Western actions. Lavrov’s comments range from NATO’s expansion to the use of sanctions and military force, while Medvedev’s message focuses on the need for a new Eurasian security architecture.

Key claims

Lavrov said Russia is categorically against any recurrence of armed aggression against Iran and calls for an immediate end to the use of force in Iran’s and Lebanon’s affairs, including against civilian infrastructure and nuclear energy facilities under IAEA safeguards. He described such actions as having no legal or moral justification.

The foreign minister also said the West cannot accept Russia as an independent actor, and that attempts at armed confrontation with Russia have always ended badly for Europe. He noted that NATO has persisted in integrating Ukraine to create problems for Russia, and that Western rhetoric has included talk of “decolonizing” Russia.

Lavrov further claimed that the West’s aggressive policy knows no bounds, mixing unprecedented sanctions with direct military intervention, citing examples around Iran, Palestine, Libya, Syria, and Yemen. He said NATO is expanding its infrastructure into the Far East under the pretext of containing China, and that the European Union has become virtually indistinguishable from NATO.

In an interview with the Shanghai Media Group, Lavrov argued that Western powers mistakenly believed they could create insurmountable economic problems for Russia and China, asserting that “Great powers and peoples, such as the Russian and Chinese cannot be enslaved.” He attributed Western aggression to a loss of influence and fear of fair competition, saying the West-led financial system no longer guarantees benefits for Western countries.

Dmitry Medvedev, in a message read by Senator Vyacheslav Grigoriev, said leading international platforms where Western countries hold an advantage have lost credibility due to narrow bloc thinking. He called for inclusive multilateral platforms, including the CSTO, CIS, SCO, and ASEAN, to play a significant role in shaping a Eurasian security architecture that reflects a fair balance of interests.