NEW YORK — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has reaffirmed Moscow’s support for India to secure a permanent seat on the United Nations Security Council, while firmly rejecting any proposed reform that grants additional permanent seats to Western nations, singling out Germany and Japan.
Addressing world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly, Lavrov stated that any overhaul of the Security Council must prioritize broadening representation from the Global South across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. He formally endorsed the candidacies of both India and Brazil for permanent membership, while emphasizing that the legitimate interests and representation of the African continent must be satisfied as a core component of the reform framework.
Lavrov sharply criticized prospective bids from other G4 aspirants, asserting that council reform cannot involve additional seats being allocated to Western countries. He accused Germany and Japan of steering toward militarism and revanchism, maintaining that an expansion favoring Western nations would further distort the council’s balance rather than make it more representative of contemporary global realities.
Highlighting Russia’s broader diplomatic strategy, the foreign minister emphasized Moscow’s commitment to working alongside allies and strategic partners through multilateral groupings such as BRICS, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, and the Eurasian Economic Union. Lavrov underscored that Russia is advocating a unifying global agenda, noting that emerging priorities like international information security require transparent, central discussions within the United Nations rather than fragmented talks hosted across narrower, exclusive forums.
