�� Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at a meeting of Alexander Gorchakov Public Diplomacy Fund’s Board of Trustees (Moscow, March 24, 2026)

�� Colleagues,

<...> In recent months and weeks we have witnessed dramatic developments in Latin America and the Middle East. These events are a direct outcome of the Western minority’s attempts to preserve what remains of its dominance in the international arena using crude force and disregarding earlier signed and ratified obligations under international law concerning civilised relations among all countries in accordance with the UN Charter.

The year began with an armed invasion of Venezuela by the United States. Dozens of people have been killed, and the legitimately elected president, Nicolas Maduro, and his spouse have been captured and taken out of the country. A brutal military aggression by the United States and Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran has been underway since late February.

The situation risks destabilising global trade, global energy security, and international transport and business communications, not just the Persian Gulf area, which it has already done, and the entire Middle East, which is a developing process. We can all clearly see all of that. Iran’s top leaders and civilian infrastructure, including nuclear energy facilities under IAEA safeguards, have been declared a legitimate target and are under attack.

I would say the IAEA leadership is failing to respond appropriately to direct threats to nuclear safety as a result of the aggression. Civilians are affected not only in the countries directly involved in the conflict - Iran and Israel - but in other countries in the region and the GCC countries which are Arab monarchies as well. <...>

Not long ago we reminded all our colleagues of a long-standing Russian initiative, namely, a Concept for Collective Security in the Persian Gulf, providing for interaction between the six Arab monarchies and the Islamic Republic of Iran, measures to ensure military transparency, confidence-building, and other, essentially straightforward, steps that have been earlier employed across the world, which would help calm and stabilise this critically important region.

☝️ We are convinced that this is the way forward. The path of negotiations, unity, and alignment of interests, rather than the attempts to force any country (especially the Islamic Republic of Iran) into following diktat imposed from abroad, serves the interests of this vital region of the world. <...>

The Western minority, or rather, the elites of Western countries, continue to invest their remaining political and economic capital in the confrontation with Russia, using for this purpose the human resources and military infrastructure of the neo-Nazi Kiev regime. The EU and NATO have kept this course of action unchanged. We hear EU and NATO leaders reiterate their position daily. <...>

The escalation of tensions around Cuba, which is facing increasing external pressure, is causing our serious concern. We stand behind our Cuban friends in their right to follow a sovereign path of development. We will continue to provide Havana with the necessary help and support, including material aid. Humanitarian aid is particularly important for our Cuban friends at this junction. <...>

Our foreign policy priorities remain unchanged amid this turbulence. They are designed to ensure national security, to create favourable external environment for the country’s internal development, and to improve the quality of life in our country. This is enshrined in the Foreign Policy Concept approved by President Vladimir Putin in March 2023. These goals remain unchanged.

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