Russia expects end of unipolar world: Lavrov

MOSCOW (AA) – Russia hopes its “special military operation” in Ukraine will lead to the end of Western world domination, foreign minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday.

“We hope and expect that the completion of our military operation after achieving all the goals set within its framework will contribute to stopping the West’s attempts to undermine international law, ignore and grossly violate the principles of the UN Charter, including the principle of sovereign equality of states, and will force the West to stop promoting the so-called unipolar world dominated by the United States and its allies,” the minister told a news conference in Muscat after a meeting with his Omani counterpart Sayyid Badr Albusaidi.

The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 heralded a unipolar era marked by US supremacy in economic, military and political affairs on the world stage.

Moscow calls its war on Ukraine, which began in February, a “special military operation” to “demilitarize” and “denazify” the neighboring country.

Lavrov said Russia does not want a war with Europe, but remarks by European politicians that Russia must be defeated at the battlefield are a cause of concern.

He argued that Moscow’s goals in Ukraine are to prevent the violation of rights of the Russian-speaking population in Donbas, and to prevent the West from creating military threats to Russia from the territory of Ukraine.

Asked about sanctions against Russia, Lavrov said that if Russian energy resources are banned in Europe, “Russia has enough buyers” in other parts of the world.

Food crisis

On the possibility of a global food crisis due to the ongoing war, Lavrov said Russia has been cut off by Western countries, and therefore the consequences should be addressed to those who made the relevant decisions.

Both Russia and Ukraine are top exporters of wheat and sunflower oil.

“The problems, that you have just mentioned, were created solely by bans, illegal sanctions imposed by Western countries,” he stressed.

The top Omani diplomat spoke in favor of finding a solution to the Russia-Ukraine war through negotiations. “We perceive what is happening with pain in our hearts. The escalation of tension is fraught with alarming situations for the whole world.

“We call on all parties to adhere to the path of peaceful settlement and to find peaceful solutions through negotiations,” he said.

He also condemned the killing of Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, and expressed condolences to her loved ones.​​​​​​​