Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has made it clear that the West can’t be trusted anymore, and he’s now looking to deepen ties with BRICS and other alternative alliances instead. In a recent interview celebrating filmmaker Nikita Mikhalkov, Lavrov slammed Western policies on Ukraine and said Moscow is done relying on nations that turned Ukraine into what he called “an anti-Russia.” The comments came right now as the Trump administration rolled out fresh Russia sanctions targeting Rosneft and Lukoil, which are the country’s biggest oil producers, in an effort to pressure President Vladimir Putin into negotiations.

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Sergey Lavrov Pins Hopes on BRICS Support Amid Russia Sanctions

Why the West Can’t Be Trusted Anymore

The shift toward Sergey Lavrov BRICS cooperation stems from what Russian officials describe as a long pattern of Western betrayal. Sergey Lavrov emphasized that Russia’s commitment to protecting ethnic Russians in Crimea, Donbass, and Novorossiya had come at a cost. This happens particularly after it became clear that Moscow wouldn’t abandon these populations just to maintain better relations with Western countries.

Lavrov stated:

“When it became clear that we would uphold our dignity based on our national interests and did not want to be ‘friends’ with the West at the expense of forgetting about the Russian people in Crimea, Donbass, and Novorossiya (after many years of honest attempts to do so), all the agreements that the West ‘sponsored’ in this regard (including with us) — seeking respect for the rights of these people — did not prevent it from driving a hard bargain turning Ukraine into an anti-Russia, a kind of a land-based aircraft carrier for creating constant threats to the Russian Federation.”

Historical patterns were cited by the Foreign Minister as evidence that the West can’t be trusted. He traced this distrust back through centuries, from Tsarist times and through the Soviet era as well.

Sergey Lavrov added:

“From now on and forever, we should have never trusted the West. History taught us this starting with the Tsarist times, then during the Soviet era. Especially in the final years of the Soviet Union, the West put out lots of ‘lures’ for us.”

New Russia Sanctions and the Push for BRICS Support

At the time of writing, new Russia sanctions from the U.S. Treasury Department have been imposed on Rosneft and Lukoil. The measures were announced by officials due to what they called “Russia’s lack of serious commitment to a peace process.” These sanctions are designed to degrade Russia’s ability to fund its military operations. They represent some of the strongest actions taken by the Trump administration so far.

The Sergey Lavrov BRICS strategy has been positioned as Moscow’s main path forward now. Sergey Lavrov urged trust in BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, or SCO. This is necessary for achieving self-sufficiency in areas such as security, technology, and food production.

Sergey Lavrov said:

“In areas that are critical to survival of the state (security, technology, and food), we must be self-sufficient or seek partners that are not infected with the Western ‘disease’ of living at the expense of others and coercing everyone into obeying them.”

The Respect That Was Missing in Russia’s Dealings with the West

BRICS support was highlighted by Sergey Lavrov as offering equality-based cooperation. This stands in contrast to what Russia sees as Western diktat. He explained that partnerships with BRICS allies and SCO members provide the kind of mutual respect that was missing in Russia’s dealings with the West.

He also said:

“We have such partners in the SCO and BRICS. Mikhalkov also promotes the topic of new global alliances in his Besogon programme and covers every topic that resonates with me as an individual, a diplomat, and a foreign minister.”

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Russia’s pivot toward Sergey Lavrov BRICS partnerships represents a fundamental shift in Moscow’s diplomatic priorities. This happens at a time when Russia sanctions from the West continue to pile up. The Foreign Ministry shared Sergey Lavrov’s statements on social media, making it clear that Russia BRICS cooperation will be the cornerstone of the country’s foreign policy moving forward. According to Sergey Lavrov, partnerships are being built with nations that share Russia’s view that the West can’t be trusted to honor agreements or respect other countries’ sovereignty.