Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday accused the United States of undermining the very international system it helped create, alleging that Washington carried out an illegal operation to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and was threatening Iran with military action.
Calling the move against Maduro a “gross violation of international law,” Lavrov said Russia would continue to honour its agreements with Venezuela, a close ally, and warned that such actions risk further destabilising global order.
“In general, this and other actions in the international arena indicate the line of our American colleagues to break the entire system that has been created for many years with their participation,” he said.
Lavrov, who has served as foreign minister since 2004, said the entire international order – along with globalisation – had been “flushed down the drain” and was now fragmenting.
When asked about U.S. threats against Iran, Lavrov said that Moscow needed to keep working with Tehran to implement their bilateral agreements and that no other country could change the nature of ties between Russia and Iran.
Lavrov suggested that the United States, by abandoning the principles it had promoted for so long, was damaging its own image.
“Our American colleagues look unreliable when they act in this way,” Lavrov told a news conference with his Namibian counterpart in Moscow.
Asked about a Bloomberg report that White House envoy Steve Witkoff and U.S. President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner are seeking to travel to Moscow to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin, Lavrov said that Putin had repeatedly said that he is open to serious discussions about peace in Ukraine.
It would, Lavrov said, be helpful if Washington briefed Moscow on the latest peace proposals for Ukraine.
(With Reuters Inputs)
Sofia Babu Chacko is a journalist with over five years of experience reporting on Indian politics, crime, human rights, gender issues, and stories about marginalized communities. She believes journalism plays a crucial role in amplifying unheard voices and bringing attention to issues that truly matter. Sofia has contributed articles to The New Indian Express, Youth Ki Awaaz, and Maktoob Media. She is also a recipient of the 2025 Laadli Media Awards for gender sensitivity. Beyond the newsroom, she is a music enthusiast who enjoys singing. Connect with Sofia on X: https://x.com/SBCism
