PROVINCE REPORT
NEW YORK: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for reform of the United Nations Security Council to reflect new global realities, including greater representation for Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Speaking to the media following the High-Level Week of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly on September 26, 2026, Lavrov said the West was already overrepresented on the Security Council and ruled out additional seats for Western countries.
He said the new UN Secretary-General should represent the interests of all humanity and meet the requirements of the UN Charter, including impartiality and objectivity.
On the Ukraine crisis, Lavrov said Russia remained committed to negotiations, noting that bilateral talks had continued in Istanbul and trilateral discussions had also been held in Abu Dhabi with US participation.
He said Russia had not terminated any of the negotiation rounds and suggested returning to what he called the Islamabad Memorandum, which he described as a fair agreement signed at the highest level.
Regarding the proposed Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century, Lavrov said Russia did not want to impose artificial deadlines but stressed the need for a continent-wide framework open to all countries and organisations in Eurasia without external interference.
On Russia-US relations, Lavrov said Moscow maintained regular dialogue with the administration of US President Donald Trump through various channels, describing continued dialogue as a sign of normality.
He said no country, including the United States, could resolve all global problems alone, particularly at the expense of other countries, and expressed confidence that the realities of the international system would encourage greater multilateralism.
Commenting on Russia-Europe relations, Lavrov rejected the idea that Russia intended to wage war against Europe, saying Russian President Vladimir Putin had recently reaffirmed Moscow’s position.
He instead claimed that Europe was preparing for war with Russia, while reiterating Moscow’s position that a conflict with Europe was not its intention.
