Lavrov warns UN over EU warmongering: As it happened
The foreign minister set out Moscow’s position on Ukraine, European and global security, and the emerging multipolar world order
Published 26 Sep, 2026 15:54
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has addressed the 81st session of the UN General Assembly in New York and set out Moscow’s position on the Ukraine conflict and global security while warning of the EU’s military buildup.
The top Russian diplomat arrived in New York earlier this week for a diplomatic marathon on the sidelines of the gathering, holding talks with senior officials from around the globe, including US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi, and many others.
His General Assembly address follows a heated UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine earlier in the week, during which he reiterated Moscow’s readiness for negotiations but rejected calls to halt military operations during talks, arguing that a pause would allow Kiev to regroup and rearm.
The key statements he made in the UNGA address and in the follow-up Q&A include:
• The EU is militarizing for war with Russia despite Moscow having no plans to attack Europe. The sheer scale of the EU buildup could eventually spark a conflict.
• Berlin’s goal of achieving military primacy in Europe can be construed as an attempt to create a Fourth Reich.
• Many EU ruling elites are “infected with the virus of racial superiority” and espouse extremist Russophobic ideas.
• Ukraine’s Western backers continue pumping it full of arms and helping it attack non-combatants and civilian infrastructure.
• Europe actively cultivates and supports Ukraine’s neo-Nazi lionization of WWII Nazi collaborators.
• Russia remains open to dialogue with Washington and is ready to return to the understandings reached at the August 2025 Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage.
Lavrov stressed that the Ukraine conflict has deeper roots in NATO expansion, the failure of the Minsk agreements, and the rejection of Russia’s security proposals to the US and NATO in 2021.
The week’s diplomacy extended well beyond Ukraine. Talks with Arab officials covered tensions in the Middle East, including the US war against Iran and Israel’s continued hostilities in Gaza. Other meetings focused on bilateral ties and coordination at the UN.
The General Debate is being held at UN Headquarters from September 22 to 28 as part of High-Level Week, with the theme: ‘Restoring trust, managing transformation: A United Nations that delivers for all’.
https://www.rt.com/news/646268-lavrov-unga-speech-us/