TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Minister of Foreign Affairs Russia Sergei Lavrov said Moscow was the target of an all-out Western-led hybrid war. Russia will forge deeper partnerships with China, India and Arab countries following the sanctions imposed by the West.

In a speech on the 80th day since Russia invaded Ukraine, Lavrov pointed to a barrage of Western-imposed sanctions. He described Russia as a target and not as an author of the aggression against Ukraine.

“The collective West has declared an all-out hybrid war on us and it’s hard to predict how long this will last. The consequences will be clearly felt by everyone without exception,” he said.

“We are no strangers to sanctions, they almost always exist in one form or another,” he said during a speech last Saturday.

New sanctions against Russian businesses, banks and political elites have been imposed following the invasion of Ukraine that killed tens of thousands of people. The invasion disrupted energy markets and exacerbated the global food crisis by driving up the prices of grain, cooking oil and fertilizer.

In his speech, Lavrov laid out the strategy Moscow hoped for as it tried to cushion the blow of the sanctions on its economy. Russia is building new markets elsewhere.

He cited the sanctions, which include the confiscation of nearly half of Russia’s $640 billion in foreign exchange reserves, as proof that no one is immune from expropriation and state embezzlement. . He also recalled the need for countries to reduce their economic dependence on the United States. and its allies.

“Not only Russia, but many other countries are also reducing their dependence on the US dollar, technology and Western markets,” he said.

He continued, Western attempts to isolate Russia are doomed to failure. Russia’s relations with China are the best ever and are developing a special strategic partnership with India.

He had also just returned from a trip to the Middle East. Lavrov stressed the importance of Russia’s relations with Egypt, Algeria and the Gulf States, as well as with Asia, Africa and Latin America.

In an example of a sanctions-induced export pivot, Russia sold twice as much crude oil to India over the past two months. Sales to India as Western countries reduced their purchases of Russian oil and Indian refiners took the opportunity to buy it at a discount.

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Reuters