Russia's Lavrov Calls for Genuine Multilateralism

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that genuine multilateralism requires major changes at the UN, including Security Council reform to more accurately represent the global landscape.

Lavrov made his remarks during the Security Council’s ministerial-level open debate on effective multilateralism through the defense of the principles of the UN Charter.

Highlighting UN Charter violations, including Washington, DC’s responsibility for the atomic bombing of Japan in 1945, and its intervention in Iraq, which unleashed terrorism across the region and beyond, he urged the United States, as the UN host country, to comply with obligations and issue visas promptly.

Addressing the situation in Ukraine, Lavrov, whose country holds the Council presidency in April, noted that international relations will continue to be shaped through a balance of interest or what he described as the United States’ hegemony and support of the “Kyiv regime”.

In this context, he urged the UN Secretary-General to ensure that staff members comply with impartiality.

In turn, United States Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said: “Today, it’s Ukraine, but tomorrow, it could be another country,” emphasizing that Russia’s invasion is among the reasons the Charter was drafted in the first place and Moscow’s attempt to redraw international borders violates agreed principles.

“This little blue book spells out our purposes and principles,” Greenfield said, holding up a copy of the UN Charter.

She also asserted the need for an effective UN,” noting that despite the international system’s imperfections, Charter principles have helped to prevent nuclear proliferation and atrocities, while lifting more than one billion people out of poverty.