Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Friday for an expansion of the UN Security Council to give more representation to Asian, African and Latin American countries in order to break what he called Western domination of the world. "The majority of the world does not want to live according to Western rules," Lavrov told a news conference.
He also reiterated Moscow's accusation that the West, especially the United States, was trying to prevent Russia and China from acting independently in a multipolar world.
When asked about Russia's stability after a failed mutiny by Wagner group mercenaries, Lavrov said his country has always emerged stronger and more resilient from any difficulties. The head of Russian diplomacy said that if the West had doubts about Russia's stability, that was its problem.
Russia's foreign minister described the West's attitude towards the Black Sea grain deal as "outrageous" and lamented the fact that grain was not exported to the world's poorest countries.
The United Nations and Turkey negotiated the Black Sea Grains Initiative last July to help address a global food crisis made worse by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and the blockade of its Black Sea ports.
Moscow has threatened not to extend the agreement beyond July 18 unless a series of demands are met, including the removal of obstacles to Russian grain and fertilizer exports. He says that promises of help with those exports have not materialized.
