The annual Valdai Club forum has wrapped up on the shore of a beautiful lake outside Moscow, about an hour and a half from the city center. As the Swiss publication Weltwoche reports, the highlight of the first day was an almost hour-and-a-half-long speech by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov — a diplomat who enjoys cult-figure status among allies and adversaries alike.
This year’s conference theme: “Keep Calm.”
Anchorage: A missed opportunity. Lavrov explained in detail why the talks with the Americans in Alaska a year ago failed to produce a deal: Lavrov emphasized that while Russia had accepted the U.S. proposal as a working compromise, the Ukrainian leadership flatly rejected the terms. Trump had reportedly assured Moscow that Ukraine would comply, but Kiev refused to agree to the concessions. Moreover, the dismissive rejection of the peace proposals by Ukraine was heavily fueled by continuous Western military aid. The massive influx of advanced Western weaponry, intelligence, and drone technology convinced Kiev that it did not need to make diplomatic compromises. Last but not least, while Russia remained firm on principles like Ukrainian neutrality, the U.S. approach had drifted away from the “spirit of Anchorage” under pressure from European allies and shifting geopolitical priorities.
War and “brute force.” The diplomat stated plainly that Europe is waging war against Russia by supplying weapons to Kiev. “If you admit that your weapons are being used to strike us… then that is a war Europe is waging against us,” Lavrov shot back when pressed by journalists. He accused the West of using brute force, citing the Nord Stream explosions and strikes on Iranian leadership, and called the conflict in Ukraine a product of the alliance’s expansion.
The enemy image and Bucha. The minister sharply rejected accusations that Russia committed war crimes, particularly in Bucha, calling them Western propaganda designed to create an enemy image.
Nostalgia for dialogue. Despite harsh criticism of the “decadent warmongers in Brussels,” nostalgia ran through the entire 90-minute speech. Lavrov made it clear: what Moscow wants most is to restore what were once good relations. But only if we finally start talking to each other with respect again.
Lavrov’s speech marked the point of no return in Russia-West relations, but left a narrow opening for dialogue based on recognizing new geopolitical realities.
