Russia

Mr President, Ladies and Gentlemen, A few days ago, within these very walls, a forum titled the “Summit of the Future” was held. Russia received the Secretary-General’s proposal to convene such a summit with understanding, given the deepening crisis in our Organisation which demands decisive action. We participated sincerely in the summit’s preparatory work—although I must admit, we did so without harbouring illusions. The history of the UN includes many ambitious initiatives that culminated in grand declarations soon forgotten. The **Millennium Summit** in 2000 proclaimed the goal of “freeing peoples from the scourge of war.” Yet, just two years later, the United States, at the head of a “coalition of the willing,” invaded Iraq without a Security Council mandate—under a flimsy pretext. Iraq has still not recovered from the destructive consequences of that adventure. The **2005 World Summit** declared commitment to “establishing a just world in accordance with the principles and purposes of the UN Charter.” This “sacred obligation” did not prevent the U.S. and its allies from encouraging then-Georgian leader Mikheil Saakashvili to launch armed aggression in 2008 against the people of South Ossetia and Russian peacekeepers. Three years later, NATO led a military intervention in Libya, destroying its statehood and destabilising neighbouring countries. In **2015**, the **UN Sustainable Development Summit** adopted ambitious plans to combat poverty and inequality. In practice, they amounted to empty promises in the face of the West’s unwillingness to relinquish neo-colonial practices of siphoning the world's wealth to their benefit. One only needs to examine the statistics on development financing and technology transfer to the Global South. As with Kofi Annan and Ban Ki-moon, the current UN Secretary-General António Guterres has launched an initiative under the banner of a “reset” of global cooperation. A noble slogan—who could object? But what kind of global cooperation is possible when the West tramples upon all those “inviolable values” of globalisation it has preached for years from every platform, convincing us they would ensure equal access to the benefits of modern civilisation? Where are the inviolability of property, presumption of innocence, freedom of speech, access to information, and fair competition based on stable and understandable rules? The Secretary-General speaks of global cooperation at a time when the Western countries have launched a veritable sanctions war against the better half—if not the majority—of the world. The U.S. dollar, once presented as a common good of humanity, has been crudely weaponised. For more than sixty years, Cuba has endured a trade blockade, which the overwhelming majority of the international community has demanded be lifted. In its pursuit of the increasingly illusory goal of preserving its dominance, Washington has paralysed the proper functioning of the WTO’s dispute settlement mechanism and blocked reform of the Bretton Woods institutions, whose structures no longer reflect the real balance of power in the global economy and finance. The UN itself is being transformed by the West into an instrument for advancing its self-serving agenda. As demonstrated by the “Summit of the Future,” there are increasing attempts to blur the intergovernmental nature of the Organisation. Long-overdue reforms in Secretariat staffing are being suppressed. Key positions are effectively monopolised by representatives of the Western minority and passed down like inheritance. If the Secretary-General truly calls for a “reset” of global cooperation, then the Secretariat must advance unifying ideas, offer compromise solutions, and refrain from inventing justifications to promote Western narratives within the UN system. It is not too late to breathe new life into the UN—but it must be done not through unrealistic summits and declarations, but by restoring trust on the basis of the Charter’s principle of the sovereign equality of states. --- --- ### Page 3 (continued): However, trust is being eroded—particularly by the West’s actions in creating narrow, UN-bypassing formats under its control to resolve crucial global issues, such as internet governance or establishing legal frameworks for the use of artificial intelligence technologies. These are matters that affect the future of all humankind, and they must be addressed on a universal basis—without discrimination or attempts to secure unilateral advantages. We must engage in honest negotiations with the full participation of all UN Member States, not as was the case with the so-called “Pact for the Future,” which lacked even a single plenary round of negotiations involving all nations. Instead, the process was guided by Western manipulators. As a result, the “Pact,” not even fully born, has already joined the pantheon of elegantly phrased but ultimately hollow declarations—in English. Such is the fate, regrettably, of many outcomes of these global summits. But the situation is no better when it comes to implementing binding Security Council resolutions. Consider, for instance, the sabotage of decisions on the Kosovo settlement or the Dayton Accords on Bosnia and Herzegovina. Most glaring is the near 80-year stalling of consensus resolutions to create an independent Palestinian state that would peacefully coexist with Israel. There is no justification for acts of terrorism, such as those that killed Israeli civilians on 7 October 2023. But anyone with even a shred of compassion must be outraged that the October tragedy is being used to inflict collective punishment on the Palestinian people, resulting in an unprecedented humanitarian catastrophe. The killing of Palestinian civilians with American-made weapons must stop immediately. Humanitarian aid must be delivered to the enclave, infrastructure must be rebuilt, and most importantly, the legitimate right of the Palestinians to self-determination must be guaranteed—allowing them, not in words but in reality, “on the ground,” to establish a territorially contiguous and viable state within the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Another egregious example of terrorism as a means to achieve political goals is the inhumane attack on Lebanon—carried out by turning civilian technologies into lethal weapons. This crime must be investigated without delay. But even now, we cannot ignore numerous reports in both European and American media indicating varying degrees of involvement—or at the very least, awareness—by Washington regarding preparations for the attack. We understand that the United States denies everything and will do everything in its power to obfuscate the facts—just as it did when presented with irrefutable evidence of its involvement in the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines. Incidentally, those pipelines had been a powerful symbol of the very “global cooperation” the UN Secretary-General claims to champion. Their destruction has undermined the EU’s competitiveness for years to come—to Washington’s benefit. The West also bears responsibility for concealing the truth behind other appalling crimes, including the bloody provocation in Bucha, Ukraine, in April 2022, and a series of poisonings of Russian citizens in the United Kingdom and Germany. --- ### Page 4: The UN Secretariat cannot remain on the sidelines in efforts to uncover the truth in situations that directly affect global security. It is obliged to uphold Article 100 of the Charter—to act impartially and to resist the temptation to favour individual countries, especially those that openly advocate dividing the world into a “flourishing garden” and “the jungle,” or between those who “dine at the democratic table” and those who are “on the menu.” We must not forget the record of those who demand the entire world adhere to their “rules.” The invasion of Afghanistan and the coalition’s ignominious twenty-year presence there gave rise to Al-Qaeda. The aggression against Iraq created ISIS. The war in Syria spawned Jabhat al-Nusra (now Hayat Tahrir al-Sham), and the destruction of Libya opened the floodgates to terrorism in the Sahel and Sahara region, as well as to the mass flow of illegal migrants into Europe. We urge all who care about the future of their nations to remain vigilant in the face of new adventurism by those who once invented these very “rules.” We are deeply concerned by the now nearly routine practice of political assassinations—as seen once again just yesterday in Beirut. The tragic and unacceptable developments in the Arab-Israeli conflict, in Yemen, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, Sudan, and other “hot spots” in Africa reflect an undeniable truth: **security must be equal and indivisible for all—or it will exist for none**. --- ### Page 5: This seemingly simple truth—that security must be equal and indivisible—has long been promoted by Russia in its dialogue with Washington, London, and Brussels. Yet these capitals remain gripped by a sense of their own exceptionalism and impunity. Although they initially promised not to expand NATO, and even signed official OSCE summit documents in 1999 and 2010 pledging not to strengthen their own security at the expense of others, in practice the North Atlantic Alliance has spent three decades pursuing geopolitical and military expansion in Europe. It now seeks to entrench itself in the South Caucasus and Central Asia, posing direct threats to Russia’s national security. A similar process is unfolding in the Asia-Pacific region, where NATO infrastructure is steadily creeping in, and narrow military-political blocs are being formed to contain both China and Russia. These efforts are actively undermining the inclusive security architecture long supported by ASEAN. In the face of these actions, the West speaks less and less about “global cooperation,” which our Secretary-General so ardently champions. Instead, Western doctrinal documents openly accuse Russia, China, Belarus, North Korea, and Iran of threatening Western dominance. Regarding Russia, the declared goal is to inflict a “strategic defeat”—almost identical to the plan hatched by London and Washington in May 1945 when they drafted “Operation Unthinkable” to destroy the Soviet Union even before World War II had ended. That plan was kept secret at the time, but today’s Anglo-Saxon strategists make no attempt to conceal their intentions. At present, they aim to defeat Russia through the proxy of an illegitimate neo-Nazi regime in Kyiv. But preparations are already underway to drag Europe itself into this suicidal adventure. I will refrain from dwelling here on the sheer folly and danger of the idea of attempting to “defeat” a nuclear power—such as Russia. Equally misguided are the Western leaders’ mantras about the “non-alternativeness” of negotiations based on President Zelensky’s so-called “peace formula.” In promoting this dead-end ultimatum, the West cynically appeals to the UN Charter, insisting on Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Let me remind my colleagues in the UN Secretariat that the Charter is not limited to territorial integrity alone. Its very first article also proclaims the obligation to respect the principles of the **equal rights and self-determination of peoples**. This was the legal foundation for the process of decolonisation—which, by the way, remains unfinished despite resistance from France, the UK, and other former colonial powers. Moreover, in 1970, the General Assembly unanimously adopted a Declaration stipulating that the territorial integrity of states must be respected only if their governments recognise the right of peoples to self-determination and thus represent the entire population of their respective territories. I emphasise—this was a unanimous resolution of the General Assembly following many years of complex debate. There is no need to prove that the Ukrainian neo-Nazis who seized power in Kyiv through a US-backed violent coup in February 2014 neither represented nor represent the Russian-speaking population of Crimea, Donbas, or Novorossiya. --- ### Page 6: Western leaders—ordinarily obsessed with human rights—have been conspicuously silent when it comes to the rights of people under the control of their Kyiv clients. In light of this amnesia, allow me to highlight another requirement from that same first article of the UN Charter: to respect the **rights and fundamental freedoms of all individuals**, regardless of race, gender, language, or religion. Since the 2014 coup, the rights of Russians and those associated with Russian culture in Ukraine have been systematically eliminated. The Russian language has been banned by law in education, media, the arts, culture—and even in daily life. A new law has just been passed prohibiting the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. These egregious violations of UN-guaranteed rights, along with direct threats to the security of Russia and Europe posed by the NATO-drawn Ukrainian regime, are the root causes of the current Ukrainian crisis. Russia’s **special military operation** is aimed precisely at eliminating these threats and ensuring the safety, present and future, of people living on their historical land. We appreciate the sincere efforts of a number of our partners to advance mediation initiatives rooted in good faith. We respect their constructive focus on outcomes—unlike the futile and ultimatist “peace formula” promoted by President Zelensky. We urge our friends to take full account of the facts surrounding the origins of this crisis in their continued diplomatic efforts. Without addressing these root causes, there can be no just and UN Charter-based peace. A **realistic settlement plan** was put forward by President Vladimir Putin on 14 June this year. Once again, he clearly demonstrated Russia’s goodwill in pursuing negotiated agreements—agreements that were undermined by the 2014 coup in Kyiv, the sabotage of the 2015 Minsk Agreements, and the collapse of the 2022 Istanbul talks. --- --- ### Page 7: The unprecedented level of arrogance and aggressiveness in Western policy toward Russia not only undermines the Secretary-General’s proposed vision of “global cooperation” but increasingly blocks the functioning of the entire system of global governance, including the Security Council. This is not Russia’s choice, and we do not bear responsibility for the consequences of such a dangerous course. However, **if the West does not stop**, the burdens will be felt by all. The global majority clearly sees that **confrontation and hegemonism** cannot solve a single global problem. They merely hinder the objective process of building a multipolar world order—one based on the equal rights of large and small nations, on respect for human dignity, gender equality, and the right of peoples to determine their own destiny. All of this is taken directly from the UN Charter. So too is the principle of **non-interference** in the internal affairs of sovereign states—a principle that, shamefully, the United States and its satellites blocked during the “Summit of the Future” when the time came to adopt a corresponding clause in the so-called “Pact.” In his speech on 18 September this year at the General Assembly of the Eurasian Women’s Forum in St Petersburg, President Vladimir Putin stressed the need to unite efforts for sustainable development and universal, equal, and indivisible security. The challenges facing humanity today can only be addressed **collectively**, with mutual consideration of each other’s interests. The West must recognise this and abandon its neo-colonial ambitions. --- ### Page 8: The **Global South and East** are increasingly asserting their right to full participation in global decision-making processes—across the entire international agenda. This trend is particularly relevant now that the West is deliberately dismantling the very model of globalisation it once created. The role of **intergovernmental organisations** in Asia, Africa, and Latin America is growing. These include the **Shanghai Cooperation Organisation**, the **African Union**, the **Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC)**, the **League of Arab States**, the **Eurasian Economic Union**, the **Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)**, and many others. Connections are strengthening among regional integration structures themselves, as well as with the global alliance **BRICS**. This creates opportunities to harmonise approaches for mutually beneficial cooperation and development, free from harmful external interference or coercion. These objective trends must also be reflected in the work of the **Group of Twenty (G20)**—where the so-called G7 can no longer “call the tune.” We must also reconsider regional security arrangements, learning the lessons of the failed **NATO-centric** and **Euro-Atlantic** models that the West has used to advance its expansionist aims. Russia has proposed building an **inclusive architecture of equal and indivisible security in Eurasia**, open—let me stress—to all states and organisations across our shared continent that are ready to work together in search of mutually acceptable solutions. This vision builds on the connectivity and natural competitive advantages of a unified Eurasian space. A **major international conference** on this subject will open in **Minsk on 31 October** this year. --- ### Page 9: We are not closing the door on dialogue with the West. In **July**, at Russia’s initiative, the **UN Security Council** held an open debate on building a **more just and sustainable international order**. We consider it essential to continue this discussion, both within the United Nations and in other fora. A truly fair world order must include **expanded representation of the Global South** on the **UN Security Council**. We reiterate our support for the candidacies of **Brazil** and **India**, along with a positive resolution of the well-known initiatives put forward by the **African Union**. At the same time, let me be clear: there can be no question of allocating additional seats to Western countries, which are already significantly overrepresented. In **May 2025**, we will commemorate the **80th anniversary of Victory in the Second World War**—a war in which tens of millions perished under the genocidal policies of the Third Reich, including **27 million citizens of the Soviet Union** of all nationalities. There is no statute of limitations for such crimes, nor can there ever be a moral justification for attempts to whitewash Nazi collaborators and their present-day followers—whether in Ukraine, the Baltics, Canada, or elsewhere. Today, the world faces grave challenges that demand unity—not confrontation, and certainly not a quest for global domination. **Russia will always stand on the side of collective action, truth, law, peace, and cooperation**, in the name of restoring the ideals embedded by the UN’s founding fathers. This is the mission of the **Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter**, launched by Venezuela’s initiative. The Charter’s goals and principles remain entirely relevant today. What is essential is that all—without exception—uphold them not selectively, picking and choosing from a “menu,” but **in their entirety and interdependence**, including the principle of sovereign equality among states. Only then, by working to forge a fair balance of the legitimate national interests of all countries, can we realise the UN Charter’s noble purpose: > **“To be a centre for harmonising the actions of nations.”** ---