Russia warns West of its ‘nuclear prowess’ at UN, says Europe plans to throw itself in ‘suicidal escapade’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addresses 79th edition of United Nations General Assembly. AP
Published September 29, 2024

In a fiery speech at the United Nations General Assembly, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned the West that they are “trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power” as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war continues to escalate. The speech from the Russian diplomat was packed with condemnation of what Russia sees as “Western machinations” in Ukraine and even in the UN.

Lavrov’s warning came just three days after Russian President Vladimir Putin hinted at the country’s shift in nuclear doctrine. During his address on Saturday, Lavrov accused the West of using Ukraine as a “tool to try to defeat” Moscow and “preparing Europe for it to also throw itself into this suicidal escapade.”

“I’m not going to talk here about the senselessness and the danger of the very idea of trying to fight to victory with a nuclear power, which is what Russia is,” the Russian diplomat averred.

Russia boasts about its nuclear prowess

It is pertinent to note that Putin’s recent announcement and Lavrov’s address came at a time when Ukraine is seeking help from the West to launch long-range weapons into Russian territory. The surprise Kursk invasion by Ukraine in recent months also did not sit well with the Kremlin.

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SOURCE: www.firstpost.com

RELATED: Attempt to defeat Russia a ‘suicidal escapade’, Lavrov warns Ukraine and the West

Ukraine’s hope of defeating Russia on the battlefield is senseless given that Moscow holds nuclear weapons and any effort by the NATO alliance to keep aiding Kyiv will prove to be a “suicidal escapade”, Russia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs told the UN General Assembly on Saturday.

UN Photo/Loey Felipe
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation addresses the general debate of the General Assembly’s seventy-ninth session.
Published September 28, 2024

Sergey Lavrov said criticism of Russia’s “special operation” based on the UN Charter and Ukraine’s territorial integrity, ignored the fact that the UN’s founding document also “declares the obligation to respect the principles of the equality and self-determination of peoples”, he said, arguing that this had after all been the basis for ongoing decolonisation efforts.

“The rights of Russians and those that feel they are part of Russian culture following the coup d’etat in Kyiv have methodically been exterminated,” he declared, and this poses a threat to Russian and wider European security.

Mr. Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin had a “realistic settlement plan” and was prepared to negotiate, blaming the West for sabotaging previous attempts.

He said the attempt by the Washington-London-Brussels axis to defeat Russia was nullifying the UN’s attempts to enhance global cooperation through agreements such as Sunday’s Pact for the Future – which Russia refused to back – and was “blocking the functioning of the entire system of global governance, including the Security Council.”

“That’s not something we chose and we’re not responsible for the consequences of this dangerous course,” he added.

He accused the West of “steadily destroying the model of globalisation that they themselves created”, warning that other regions of the world were forging their own alliances, inviting all of Europe and Asia to join a “single Eurasian space” separate from Washington’s influence.

 

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SOURCE: www.un.org