Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday that his country would not make the first step toward reviving dialogue with the West, given the current circumstances.
"We do not avoid contacts and when offers come we accept them. If our partners want to meet in secret, so that no one knows, let it be so. Because talking is better than not talking," he told reporters in New York City.
"But, in the situation we have found ourselves in, Russia will not make any first steps," Lavrov added.
The top Russian diplomat held a press conference on the sidelines of the UNGA general debate. He said that Russia would not refuse to talk to Ukraine either, but he warned that the longer Kiev delayed negotiations the harder it would be for the two countries to make peace.
During a press conference, Lavrov said that the United States had become a party to the Ukrainian conflict by choosing which targets to engage and guiding deadly weapons on the battlefield.
"Recently, one of the commanders of the Ukrainian armed forces, commenting on the use of US weapons on the battlefield, said: 'Yes, the Americans have the right to veto the targets that we choose.' What is this, if not a direct participation in the guidance of deadly weapons and involvement in the war?," Lavrov told a press conference after delivering a speech at the UN General Assembly's high-level week in New York.
The foreign minister also said that the US and other NATO member countries cannot deny their involvement in the Ukrainian conflict as they have been providing Kiev with weapon supplies.
"[US satellite internet provider] Starlink has both satellites and ground infrastructure, and the use of these resources in the war also means that the United States is not neutral in this situation and is a party to the conflict," Lavrov added.
India and Brazil Should Join the UNSC
Russia believes that India and Brazil should join the UN Security Council as permanent members to better reflect "modern realities," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at the UN General Assembly on Saturday.
"Undoubtedly, both the Council and the UN as a whole must be adapted to modern realities. We see prospects for democratizing the work of the Security Council exclusively through increased representation of countries from Africa, Asia and Latin America," he said at the general debate in New York City.
"We particularly note India and Brazil as key international players and worthy candidates for permanent membership in the Council, with a mandatory increase in the profile of Africa," the diplomat continued.
Lavrov said Russia saw no point in adding Germany or Japan to the fold because they towed the Americans' line.
"It is ridiculous to talk about adding Western countries to the Council... Does a Western country have anything new to offer to the Security Council if it is accepted as a permanent member? No, nothing. They do the US's bidding," he explained.
Lavrov calculated that six out of the current 15 UN Security Council members were aligned with the US. Japan will boost their ranks when it joins as a non-permanent member in 2023-2024.
NATO's Incursion Into the Indo-Pacific
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned on Saturday that NATO would soon draw a new "defense line" across the South China Sea as it seeks to expand into the Indo-Pacific.
"They announced that NATO was committed to Indo-Pacific security, meaning that NATO’s next defense line will be drawn in the South China Sea. I have no doubt about it," he told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.
Lavrov said in August that the AUKUS military pact reached by Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States last year aimed to advance NATO interests in the region. This puts the military bloc on a collision course with China.
Lavrov Blasts the EU
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen of arrogance after she warned that the EU executive had the tools to steer elections in Italy in the direction that Brussels favored.
"This is arrogance, the sense of entitlement, exceptionalism… What Ms. Von der Leyen said about the Italian voting was amazing. I don’t remember any EU boss stoop so low as to make such threats," he told reporters on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly’s general debate in New York City.
Von der Leyen made waves on Thursday after she told a conference at Princeton University that the Commission had "the tools" to cut EU budget funding to Italy "if things go in a difficult direction" at this Sunday's legislative elections.
The German career politician's warning raised eyebrows among multiple candidates in Italy, with League party leader Matteo Salvini questioning if Brussels meant it as a threat.
Lavrov said his planned meeting with Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades was canceled abruptly on EU instructions.
"An hour before we were to meet the protocol team of Mr. Anastasiades told our side that the EU had forbidden him from meeting me. That is their own wording," Lavrov told reporters at the UN General Assembly.
A Cypriot government spokesperson said this week that the European Union had banned Cyprus, a member state, from having bilateral meetings with Russians. The EU has been seeking to block any unilateral action by members in a bid to form a united front against Russia.