Lavrov Accuses US, Allies of 'Warmongering' at UN

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov launched a strong condemnation of the United States and its Western allies at the United Nations on Saturday, labeling them “warmongers” and accusing them of prolonging the conflict in Ukraine. His remarks, delivered during a tirade at the UN General Assembly, also aimed to create divisions between the US and Europe while justifying Russia's ongoing war.

Lavrov specifically cited US military actions in Venezuela and Iran, quoting Russian President Vladimir Putin on Western “hegemony.” “The West aspires to inflict strategic defeat on Russia, but these aspirations will result in the warmongers being led into a strategic dead end,” Lavrov stated.

He alleged that the US had invaded Venezuela earlier in the year, leading to the abduction and imprisonment of its president and his spouse, and described the use of force to kill Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and his family as unacceptable. Lavrov also claimed that US and Israeli attacks on Iran targeted civilian and nuclear infrastructure under international safeguards.

Shifting his focus to Ukraine, Lavrov accused the West of supplying weapons to Kyiv, which he claimed were used to target civilians and infrastructure. This assertion contrasted with reports of repeated Russian attacks on Ukrainian residential areas, warehouses, and energy facilities. Ukraine, in turn, has conducted drone attacks on Russian refineries.

Beyond the Ukraine conflict, Lavrov criticized the US embargo against Cuba and demanded the lifting of all trade restrictions. He also targeted European Union leaders, accusing them of being “contaminated with the virus of racial superiority” and suggesting they had not learned the “lessons of Nuremberg.” Lavrov further claimed that Europe was hindering peace talks in which the Trump administration was interested.

His address followed President Trump's invitation to Putin to attend the G20 summit in Miami in December, an invitation that has drawn bipartisan criticism. Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the invite, stating it would provide an opportunity for engagement with the president and other world leaders. If Putin attends, it would mark his first major international summit since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Seven Republican senators, including Mitch McConnell, John Cornyn, and Thom Tillis, joined Democrats in urging Trump to withdraw the invitation, arguing it would grant Putin unwarranted stature and legitimacy. Lavrov also broadly criticized what he described as the “Western minority,” which he claimed dominated for 500 years by exploiting other nations' resources, and is now attempting to maintain its privileges and impose its rules globally. He warned that the