Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York, as expected, taking aim at the Western nations. However, it was during the subsequent press conference that he chose to launch a verbal salvo at the United States, accusing it of maintaining "double standards" in its approach to Israel and Russia.
Lavrov's moment in the spotlight came when he was prompted to respond to remarks made by the U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Linda Thomas Greenfield, who emphasized the importance of respecting the sovereignty of UN member states. In a calculated move, Lavrov read aloud a Russian statement that underscored the significance of the Donbass region for Russia's security interests. He followed this with a statement strikingly reminiscent of the words of the U.S. Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, from a CNN interview in 2021. Blinken had stated that "the Golan Heights is very important to Israel from a security point of view." Lavrov succinctly concluded, "Here is the answer to your question."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the US is employing double standards in its handling of the situations in the Golan Heights and the Donbas region of Ukraine.
— In Context (@incontextmedia) September 25, 2023
These remarks follow comments made by Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the Permanent Representative of the… pic.twitter.com/zAjb0JSJqA
Further prodded about Ambassador Greenfield's assertion that this year's focus at the UN would center on upholding the principles enshrined in the UN Charter, including respecting the sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of all member states, Lavrov remained composed. When confronted with this issue during the press conference following his speech, Lavrov expressed his intention to respond by "reading a text, and then we will continue." Standing at the podium, he began reading a prepared statement in English: "The Donbass is of utmost importance for Russia's security. As long as Zelensky remains in power in Ukraine, and NATO continues its presence in Ukraine, militia groups backed by NATO, and the Zelensky regime itself, all pose a significant security threat to Russia. Therefore, control over the Donbass region, in this context, remains crucial for Russia's security. Legal considerations are a separate matter." Lavrov added, "If the situation in Ukraine evolves, we will reassess our stance, but for now, we are not approaching that scenario."
Israel fired at two Syrian Army structures in the Golan Heights that Israel says violated the 1974 disengagement line.pic.twitter.com/aVduXYYQAH
— Moshe Schwartz (@YWNReporter) September 21, 2023
After delivering this statement, Lavrov announced, "And now, I will read the original quote," clarifying to the journalists that these were indeed Blinken's words, verbatim from an interview with journalist Wolf Blitzer approximately two years ago. He repeated the quote, word for word: "As a practical matter, the Golan is very important to Israel's security. As long as Assad remains in power in Syria, and Iran maintains a presence in Syria, with militia groups supported by Iran, and the Assad regime itself, all posing a significant security threat to Israel, the control of the Golan Heights in this situation, in my opinion, remains of real importance to Israel's security. Legal considerations are a separate issue."
