Lavrov Accuses West of Using International Legal Mechanisms for Political Purposes
Dragon Media News Desk
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has accused Western countries of using international judicial and quasi-judicial mechanisms for political purposes. Speaking at a roundtable in Moscow on September 15 titled “The Ukrainian Crisis: The West’s Legal Aggression,” he claimed that many cases brought against Russia before international courts and arbitration bodies lacked sufficient factual and legal grounds.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, around 100 heads of diplomatic missions and international organisations accredited in Moscow attended the event. In his remarks, Lavrov alleged that Western countries were applying politically motivated interpretations of established principles of international law and using legal mechanisms to exert pressure on Russia.
He claimed that many proceedings against Russia were intended less to achieve legal justice than to damage Russia’s international reputation and legitimise actions taken by Western countries. Lavrov said Russia had already secured favourable outcomes in several international legal proceedings and would continue to defend its interests through legal means.
Lavrov strongly criticised the International Criminal Court, or ICC, accusing it of applying double standards and issuing politically motivated decisions. Referring to countries that have announced decisions to leave the ICC, he urged other states to reconsider the court’s role. The ICC, however, maintains that its investigations and prosecutions are conducted independently and in accordance with the Rome Statute.
Lavrov also claimed that other international initiatives launched without broad consensus and aimed at holding Russia accountable lacked legal validity. According to him, Russia did not start what he described as a “legal war,” but Moscow would no longer remain solely on the defensive and would prepare its own legal claims against states it considers to have violated their international obligations.
He also reiterated Russia’s long-standing position that any settlement of the conflict surrounding Ukraine must address what Moscow describes as its root causes. Russia has cited NATO expansion, Ukraine’s security alignment and the situation of Russian-speaking communities among those causes. Western countries and Ukraine, however, describe Russia’s military actions as violations of international law and Ukraine’s sovereignty.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said diplomats and representatives of international organisations at the roundtable exchanged views on the Ukraine crisis and other international issues. Participants also expressed readiness to continue discussions through ambassador-level roundtables on Ukraine.
