Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov slammed the attempts of Western democracies to prop up rules-based order around the world, warning that it might revive bloc-mentality and draw divisive lines between the countries again. He explained that this does not mean that rules are not necessary in general, just those that are pushed unilaterally by a small group of states.
"After all, the UN Charter is precisely a set of rules. But these rules are approved by all countries of the world. Similarly, any new rules governing interstate communications should be agreed upon on universal platforms, primarily [at the UN]".
The minister noted that the rules, which are propped up without discussions with the rest of the international community, do not possess universal legitimacy.
Lavrov added that arbitrary rules are sometimes applied among Western countries as well, when some of them become overly independent. He brought up the controversy with the creation of the AUKUS security pact and the supplies of nuclear submarines from the US to Australia as a fine example. The minister believes this was Washington's reaction to EU plans to form its own military force following the unilateral US withdrawal from Afghanistan.