🎙 Remarks by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at a meeting with university graduates joining the Russian diplomatic service (Moscow, October 20, 2026) 💬 At this stage, the Russian MFA and our foreign policy as a whole, as defined by President Vladimir Putin, face very complex tasks. These are challenging times. You will have to immerse yourselves in multilayered, multifaceted and exceptionally fast-moving processes straight away, with no warm-up period. Now that the world has taken a different direction, the course of history is fundamentally reshaping economics, politics and global finance. ☝️ The West will never again be the dominant player calling the tune. We see a circle of like-minded partners taking shape among the countries of the Global South. The constructive philosophy we champion is shared by such associations as the #SCO, #BRICS, #CIS, #CSTO and #EAEU, and, of course, the Union State of Russia and Belarus. We all share a commitment to maximising the benefits of joint development. Our partnerships are not aimed against anyone. We stand for equal dialogue and frank discussions to find a balance of interests, as that balance is what matters most. 💬 President Vladimir Putin said the following at Valdai – a very important quote: We are all responsible for our planet as a whole, but we are first and foremost responsible for our own home and its immediate surroundings. Our home in the broader sense is Eurasia, a vast territory that is the centre and the setting for the most important processes unfolding in the world. A great deal on the international stage as a whole depends on how we develop Eurasia. This reflects the initiative announced several years ago by President Vladimir Putin, which we have been systematically advancing in various formats: the Greater Eurasian Partnership (#GEP) on our vast, resource-rich and unique continent. Bringing together these efforts to align the work programmes of Eurasia’s subregional organisations is a task of paramount importance. The current situation confirms that one of the West’s principal objectives remains inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia. If not on the battlefield, as they had hoped and boasted of planning – something they could never have achieved – then perhaps by weakening our economic capabilities and attempting to destabilise our country. 👉 What matters most is that we have learned our lessons. Read in full