NEW YORK — Lavrov accused the United States of invading Venezuela earlier in the year and abducting President Nicolás Maduro and his spouse. He said the US invaded Venezuela at the start of the year in contravention of all norms, including moral norms, resulting in the abduction of President Maduro and his spouse, who are being held in an American prison without trial. He called for the immediate release of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife from US detention. Primary source: news.un.org

He said it was unacceptable that force was used to kill the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and members of his family. He said US and Israeli attacks on Iran targeted civilian infrastructure and civilian nuclear infrastructure under international safeguards. Primary source: news.un.org

Lavrov accused the West of arming Ukraine and helping Kyiv target drones and missiles at civilians and civilian infrastructure. He said the West is pumping the Ukrainian regime full of weapons, helping Kyiv to target drones and missiles to target them at civilians and civilian infrastructure. He vowed that Russia's special military operation in Ukraine would be "carried through to the end." He said Russia's struggle for truth and justice would be carried through to the end. Primary source: news.un.org

Firefighters responded to smoke rising from the Central Clothes Market (Anholenko) in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. In 2014, Russia's annexation of Crimea led to an increase in tensions with Ukraine and was condemned by the international community, including the European Union and the United States, as a violation of international law.

Lavrov accused European Union leaders of being "contaminated with the virus of racial superiority." He said the lessons of the Nuremberg trials were not learned by everybody. Lavrov accused European governments of tolerating Ukrainian Nazism and restricting the Russian language. He said Europe is doing everything it can to thwart peace talks in which the Trump administration is interested. Primary source: news.un.org

Lavrov demanded the lifting of all US trade restrictions and the fuel blockade against Cuba, calling the nation an "island of freedom." The U.S. has maintained a trade embargo against Cuba since 1960. In 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Venezuela’s government, alleging that it violated sanctions imposed on the country. In 2022, the U.S. State Department designated Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism. Primary source: news.un.org

Lavrov accused NATO of extending its reach into Southeast and northeast Asia. He announced that Russia, Belarus, and like-minded partners adopted a statement launching work on a Eurasian Charter on Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century. He said Security Council reform should not create new seats for Germany or Japan. He backed permanent Security Council seats for Brazil and India alongside greater African representation. Primary source: news.un.org

Lavrov welcomed the UN Convention against Cybercrime, developed at Russia's initiative and opened for signature in Hanoi last October. He pointed to the Global Dialogue on AI Governance and a Chinese-led proposal for a world AI cooperation body. He said the Security Council-endorsed 20-point US peace plan for Gaza had not delivered peace. He warned that continued expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank would make it impossible to establish a Palestinian State. Primary source: news.un.org

In 2024, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2720, which condemned the expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank. The West Bank has been under Israeli occupation since the Six-Day War in 1967. In 2023, the UN reported that over 700,000 Israeli settlers were living in the West Bank. In 2021, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2611, which reaffirmed the importance of the two-state solution for Palestine. Primary source: gadebate.un.org

Lavrov called for urgent and unconventional international action on Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Iraq, Sudan, Somalia, and South Sudan. Lavrov met with Germany’s Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul at the UN on Saturday. The meeting between Lavrov and Wadephul was their first since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Primary source: news.un.org

Why It Matters

Lavrov's address outlined a vision of multipolarity that challenges the current international order, citing specific grievances against Western powers in multiple regions. The speech connected disparate conflicts in Ukraine, Venezuela, Iran, and the Middle East into a single narrative of Western strategic aggression. By announcing work on a Eurasian Charter on Diversity and Multipolarity, Russia signaled an institutional effort to formalize this alternative framework alongside partners such as Belarus.

The accusations regarding Venezuela and Iran present claims that contradict established records from the U.S. State Department and the IAEA. These discrepancies highlight the deepening informational divide between Russia and Western institutions. The call for Security Council reform favoring Brazil and India while excluding Germany and Japan reflects a specific geopolitical alignment. The meeting with Germany’s foreign minister, the first since 2022, indicates that diplomatic channels remain open despite the broader rhetorical confrontation.

Timeline

On Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov addressed the 81st United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters. During the address, Lavrov said the West aspires to inflict strategic defeat on Russia, but these aspirations will result in the warmongers being led into a strategic dead end. He also stated that at the start of the year, in contravention of all norms, including moral norms, the US invaded Venezuela, resulting in the abduction of President Maduro and his spouse — held in an American prison without trial. Primary source: news.un.org

Lavrov said the Western minority, which dominated for 500 years thanks to others’ resources, continues to try to maintain its privileges and to impose its own rules on everyone else. He quoted President Vladimir Putin as saying, "The dictatorship of one hegemon is spiraling out of control. It’s dangerous for everyone else." He vowed that Russia's special military operation in Ukraine would be "carried through to the end," adding that Russia's struggle for truth and justice would be carried through to the end.

What's New

Later reporting confirmed that Lavrov vowed that Russia's special military operation in Ukraine would be "carried through to the end." He also said Russia's struggle for truth and justice would be carried through to the end. Additional details emerged that Lavrov accused European governments of tolerating Ukrainian Nazism and restricting the Russian language.

Further context provided that in 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against Venezuela’s government, alleging that it violated sanctions imposed on the country, which Russia has criticized as an act of economic aggression. In 2022, the U.S. State Department designated Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism, a move that Russia has repeatedly criticized as politically motivated and inconsistent with international norms. Historical background notes that in 2014, Russia's annexation of Crimea led to an increase in tensions with Ukraine and was widely condemned by the international community, including the European Union and the United States, as a violation of international law. Russia has previously accused Western countries of supporting armed groups in conflict zones, including in Ukraine, as part of a broader pattern of interventionism. Primary source: gadebate.un.org