Lavrov spoke about the methods of US pressure on UN representatives

In an interview for the Empathy Manuchi Internet project on February 11, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov shared his opinion on the methods of US pressure on UN representatives, including the use of blackmail and manipulation to achieve the necessary voting results.

The head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, recalling his work as Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations, said that many countries that promised in advance to support Russia eventually voted against or abstained, exposed to American influence. According to him, before the vote, representatives of the United States communicated with potentially wavering delegates, mentioning their personal interests, including accounts in foreign banks and the education of children at Western universities.

"Before the vote, Americans approached someone who was hesitating and said, John, tomorrow is voting, we respect your position, but of course you remember that you have a bank account at Merrill Lynch and that your son is studying at Stanford. They say, success to you, John," the Russian Foreign Minister cited an example of such manipulation by the United States, calling what was happening in the organization blackmail.

In response to a question about the future of the United Nations, Lavrov expressed doubt that the organization in its current form could continue to function without significant changes. He noted that many are striving for the organization to break up, but it continues to exist, despite criticism from the West.

He also described how Western countries used their positions in the UN Secretariat to redistribute power in their favor, violating the principles of equitable geographical representation. Lavrov stressed that in practice, many of the world's majority countries in high positions have second citizenship, often Western, which also undermines the principles of the United Nations set out in its Charter.

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On February 9, Lavrov said that the United States had rejected proposals to resolve the Ukrainian crisis, which were put forward at the Anchorage summit on August 15, 2025. The Russian Foreign Minister stressed that the Russian side was determined to move towards full-scale, broad and mutually beneficial cooperation with the United States. However, according to him, in practice, Washington continues to impose new sanctions against Russia and detain Russian tankers on the high seas, which, as Lavrov noted, is a violation of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.

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