Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

The possible end of the Ukrainian Conflict sometime later this year and the political agreement that’ll accompany it will play the greatest roles in determining the New Cold War’s strategic dynamics in the coming future.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave a year-end interview with TASS where he touched upon the most important developments from the past year that’ll likely shape events in 2025.

From the get-go, he rejected Trump’s reported plans to freeze the conflict, delay Ukraine’s membership in NATO, and deploy Western peacekeepers there and reminded everyone of the terms that Putin declared for ending the special operation. Russia also requires legally binding agreements that address the root of the conflict.

Lavrov expressed skepticism that there’ll be any improvement in bilateral relations under Trump since he’ll have to “swim against the current” as he phrased it in the sense of having to overcome the bipartisan consensus on containing Russia via Ukraine. On that topic, he’s equally skeptical of Zelensky’s recent admission that Ukraine is unable to reconquer its lost territories, pointing to that goal’s continued inclusion in Kiev’s “Victory Plan” as evidence that his words haven’t translated into actions.

Moving along, Lavrov was also asked about the West’s policy of orchestrating Color Revolutions, particularly in Georgia. He responded by condemning the false dilemma that they’ve placed that country into whereby it’s either considered to be with the West or against it. He also reaffirmed that Russia is determined to normalize relations with Georgia to the extent that Tbilisi is ready. Observers should keep an eye on this diplomatic track since it could have far-reaching consequences if any progress is made.

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Andrew Korybko
Andrew Korybko's Newsletter

If Putin hopes to reach a deal with Erdogan on Syria, then it’ll require keeping up the pretense (however unbelievable it is to objective observers) that Turkiye no longer backs terrorists, thus accounting for Lavrov’s diplomatic assessment of events there.

Lavrov’s interview with Tucker mostly saw him elaborate on Russia’s stance towards the proxy war with NATO in Ukraine, which built upon what he shared during his earlier and more concise interview with Newsweek in early October that was analyzed here at the time.

He was also importantly asked about the latest events in Syria, the assessment of which hasn’t received much international media attention, at least not yet. The present piece will therefore review and interpret what he said about that.

He began by describing the Astana process between his country, Iran, and Turkiye as being driven by the need to contain US-backed Kurdish separatist threats in Syria before expressing hope that he’ll meet with his counterparts over the weekend during the Doha Forum to discuss the latest developments.

Lavrov then said he’d also like to “discuss the need to come back to strict implementation of the deals on Idlib area, because Idlib de-escalation zone was the place from where the terrorists moved to take Aleppo.” According to him, Turkiye must continue separating Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) from the non-terrorist opposition, and he also wants the M5 highway between Damascus and Aleppo reopened after that group just captured its northern half over the past week.

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Leonid Savin
Oriental Review

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was visiting
Moscow on July 8-9 to co-chair the 22nd Russia-
India Annual Summit with President Vladimir Putin.

The 22nd annual Russia–India Summit took place in Moscow.

Arriving in Moscow on July 8, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Russia India‘s “all-weather friend” and praised President Vladimir Putin‘s leading role in strengthening bilateral relations over the past two decades. The Prime minister also said that for a long time, the world had witnessed an “influence-oriented global order” “But, what the world needs right now is confluence not influence and no one can deliver this message better than India which has a strong tradition of worshipping confluences,” Modi said.

How can these words be interpreted? At first glance, the Indian Prime Minister calls for a kind of convergence. However, the East is a delicate matter, and this phrase can be interpreted both as a fusion of several streams and as a mutual influence.

At a meeting with the Indian diaspora in Moscow on July 9, Modi stressed that “Indians in Russia are strengthening bilateral ties by contributing to the development of Russian society... As soon as they hear the word ‘Russia’, every Indian thinks that it is a trustable friend; a friend in joy and sorrow…“

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Pepe Escobar
Strategic Culture Foundation

The Swiss “peace” kabuki came and went – and the winner was Vladimir Putin. He didn’t even have to show up.

The Swiss “peace” kabuki came and went – and the winner was Vladimir Putin. He didn’t even have to show up.

None of the Big Players did. Or in case they sent their emissaries, there was significant refusal to sign the vacuous final declaration – as in BRICS members Brazil, India, Saudi Arabia, UAE and South Africa.

Without BRICS, there’s absolutely nothing the collective West – as in The Hegemon and assorted vassals – can do to alter the proxy war chessboard in Ukraine.

In his carefully calibrated speech to diplomats and the leadership of Russia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Putin delineated an incredibly restrained and strategic approach to solve the Ukraine problem. In the context of the Hegemon’s escalatory green light – actually in practice for several months now – for Kiev to attack deeper into the Russian Federation, Putin’s offer was extremely generous.

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Pepe Escobar
Strategic Culture Foundation

Both have had enough of being “polite”. You want confrontation? Confrontation is what you’re gonna get.

Something very important happened earlier this week in Astana during the meeting of the Council of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO).

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi went straight to the point: he called for SCO members to “maintain their strategic autonomy”, and “never allow external forces” to turn Eurasia into a “geopolitical arena.”

Wang Yi detailed how “a few countries are pursuing hegemony and power, forming small cliques, establishing hidden rules, engaging in interference and suppression, ‘decoupling and cutting off ties,’ and even assisting the ‘three forces’ in the region”, thus attempting to suppress the strategic autonomy of the Global South.

The “three forces” is Chinese code for terrorism, separatism and religious extremism – actually the three main reasons for the foundation of the SCO way back in 2001, a short while before 9/11.

The straightforward translation of Wang’s message points to Beijing being very much aware of the Hegemon’s myriad Hybrid War tactics now deployed all across the Heartland. Still, Beijing excels in politeness, calling for “common, comprehensive, cooperative and sustainable” security cooperation and to work with the “international community”.

The problem is the “international community” is a hostage of the “rules-based international order”.

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Sergey Lavrov
Foreign Minister of Russia
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
of the Russian Federation

Interview with Sergey Lavrov to the International Life magazine (August 19, 2023)

Question: The world has entered a period of confrontation between the concepts of global development: the position of Russia, China, and, in general, the non-Western position as opposed to the policy of Western dominance. Was it inevitable, based on the differences in civilizations, approaches to the use of force and international law, and understanding of the role of international institutions? In the context of the current challenges, what, in your opinion, is Russia's role and mission?

Sergey Lavrov: I cannot but agree that the concept of Western dominance promoted by the United States and the countries that obey it does not imply the harmonious development of the entire humanity. On the contrary, we have to deal with the constant desire of the Western minority for military-political and financial-economic expansion. The slogans change: they talk about globalization, then about Westernization, Americanization, universalization, liberalization, and so on. But the essence remains the same - to subjugate all independent players to its will, to force them to play by the rules favorable to the West.

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Stephen Lendman

Illegitimately installed Biden regime criminals run the empire of lies and forever wars.

A previous article discussed Trump’s politicized indictment, ignoring his crimes of war and against humanity because of far greater guilt by illegitimately installed Dems.

A state of war has existed against Russia by the empire of lies since 2014 by use of expendable Ukrainian Nazified and conscript foot soldiers. The former nation state was transformed into a platform for perpetual US aggression against Russia, its cannon fodder troops crushed by its military and tactical superiority.

Yet in its latest fake news edition, the NYT again trampled on truth as follows, saying:

(Nazi-infested) “Ukraine rebuffed a Russian offensive over the winter (sic).” “Now, it is Ukraine’s turn to go on the attack (sic).” “Signs are everywhere that it is coming in the next month or so (sic).”

Each time Nazi-infested Ukraine attempted an offensive, Russian forces smashed it decisively. Most arms and equipment supplied by the US/West to the regime were destroyed. According to Wagner Group founder, Yevgeny Prigozhin, they captured and control the strategically important town of Artyomovsk. The regime sent tens of thousands of troops to their death in a futile effort to hold what’s lost to militarily superior Russian forces.

Yet the Biden regime continues throwing good money after bad in pursuit of a lost cause in Ukraine.

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Alexander Gusev,
Doctor of political sciences, professor

On January 20 this year, representatives of fifty countries of the anti-Russian coalition gathered at the US airbase in Ramstein, Germany, to discuss a plan to begin full-scale military operations against our country. No doubt, the participants of the meeting could call themselves an "advisory group" or a "Western partnership"; the essence of the decisions they made did not change. In fact, the participants in this gathering unequivocally declared that the West was waging a full-scale war against Russia.[1]

Moreover, immediately after the "Ramstein meetings" the head of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, confirmed that the alliance was ready for a direct confrontation with Russia, as its strategic goals extended beyond Ukraine. It is, therefore, no coincidence that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, following talks with South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor on 23 January this year, noted that the Ramstein meeting showed that the West is waging an almost real war against Russia, which it has long prepared, seeking to destroy everything Russian — from language to culture — in Ukraine.[2]

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Sergey Lavrov
Foreign Minister of Russia

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the General Debate of the 77th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, New York, September 24, 2022

Madame President,

Colleagues,
Ladies and gentlemen,

We are meeting at a both challenging and dramatic moment. Crisis situations are growing, and the international security situation is deteriorating rapidly.

Instead of engaging in honest dialogue and searching for compromises, we must deal with misinformation, as well as coarsely staged incidents and provocations. The policy line adopted by the West undermines trust in international institutions, which are tasked with coordinating various interests and international law as a guarantee of fairness to protect the weak from arbitrary rule. We are witnessing these negative trends in their quintessential form here in the United Nations, which rose from the rubble of German fascism and Japanese militarism and was established to promote friendly relations among its members and to prevent conflict among them.

The future world order is being decided today, as any unbiased observer can clearly see. The question is whether this world order will have a single hegemon that forces everyone else to live by its infamous rules, which only benefit this hegemon and no one else. Or whether this will be a democratic and just world free from blackmail and intimidation against the unwanted, as well as free from neo-Nazism and neo-colonialism. Russia firmly opts for the second option. Together with our allies, partners, and like-minded countries, we call for efforts to make this a reality.

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M. K. BHADRAKUMAR

Russian FM Sergey Lavrov rounded off a tour of African states in a blaze of media publicity despite US hopes to “isolate” him.

The US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a press availability at the State Department on Wednesday made the dramatic announcement that he intends to speak to his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov “in the coming days...for the first time since the war began” in Ukraine on February 24.

Interestingly, he gave an alibi that harks back to the Soviet era — prisoner exchange. The US is offering a swap of a Russian entrepreneur Viktor Bout, who was arrested in Thailand in 2008 on a US warrant and later convicted to 25 years in prison on charges of weapons trafficking, in exchange for Brittney Griner, a basketball star who has been detained at Moscow airport on drug charges and, importantly, Paul Whelan, an ex-US Marine, who was arrested in Russia in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison two years later on charges of espionage. Whelan surely was a prize catch for the Russians. The American ambassador in Moscow had been visiting him in prison.

Blinken also added a second topic he’d like to discuss with Lavrov —implementation of the recent “grain deal”. Washington played no role in negotiating the deal and is presumably hoping to make a lateral entry into the matrix now. Blinken claimed he is “seeing and hearing around the world a desperate need for food, a desperate need for prices to decrease. And if we can help through our direct diplomacy encourage the Russians to make good on the commitments they’ve made, that will help people around the world, and I’m determined to do it.”

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