Russian Foreign Minister: The world will be different when the Ukraine conflict ends

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said that when the Ukraine conflict ends, Kiev will accept the loss of territory and the "era of Western-led globalization" will end.

Speaking on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 16, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described "the West's proxy war with Russia as a geopolitical conflict," in which the United States is trying to eliminate a powerful opponent and "protect its hegemonic position" by all means.

"We all know that such efforts are futile," Lavrov said, adding that Ukraine and its backers would be forced to accept "new realities" before a ceasefire could be reached.

According to the Russian foreign minister, Ukraine must accept that any peace deal must include a clause confirming that it has lost the territories of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia, four regions annexed by Russia last year. "The longer they delay negotiations, the harder it will be for them to reach an agreement with us," Mr Lavrov said.

The Russian foreign minister stressed that Moscow would ensure its own national security, rather than relying on promises from the West. "We fully understand that we can only rely on ourselves and build relations only with countries that are ready for an equal, mutually beneficial partnership," he said. "This is not what we see in the West today."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a visit to a university in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe on June 6. Photo: AFP — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov speaks during a visit to a university in Tajikistan's capital Dushanbe on June 6. Photo: *AFP*

He declared that the era in which the US and its allies controlled global institutions, primarily development banks and multilateral organizations, would end.

"Today, everyone understands that growth processes need to be regionalized and this vision is dominant. All countries on this vast continent should take advantage of their existing advantages to develop mutually beneficial logistics, financial and transport chains," the Russian Foreign Minister stressed.

According to him, Russia will leave all doors open for partnership with European countries that realize that their interests are better served by cooperating with Russia, rather than playing the "ideological and geopolitical games" of the United States.

“The world will be different,” Russia’s top diplomat concluded. “We have accepted the challenges that the West has thrown at us. This process shows that the main trend today is to remain autonomous, independent of any international structures involving the West.”

The Russian Foreign Minister's remarks came as an African delegation arrived in Kiev to meet Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in an effort to mediate the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Zelensky said Kiev could only negotiate peace with Moscow after Russian forces withdrew from areas under its control in Ukraine.

Mr Zelensky’s comments suggest that Kiev has so far not changed its stance on peace talks. The African delegation is scheduled to travel to St. Petersburg, Russia’s second-largest city, and meet with President Vladimir Putin on June 17.

The Kremlin said on June 16 that President Putin was still ready to participate in any contact to find a way to resolve the conflict with Ukraine. Russia has said it is open to negotiations with Ukraine, but Kiev must recognize the "new reality" on the ground, referring to Moscow's annexation of the four regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia into its territory.