Lavrov: The West has failed to isolate Russia as foreign leaders love to welcome Putin

By Rhod Mackenzie

The number of foreign contacts made by Russian President Vladimir Putin recently shows that the West's attempts to isolate Russia have failed. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on 13 December during a government session of the Federation Council.
"The course of isolating Russia has failed. Just look at President Putin's numerous contacts with our foreign colleagues," Lavrov said.

He added that representatives of Western states were "running around the world", intimidating countries with threats of punishment for interacting with Russia.

"The West is alarmed. <...> They want to do everything to prevent such a rapprochement, making it even stronger than it was until recently, between the global South and the Russian Federation," the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

As the Minister pointed out, Russia is ready for such a challenge, and real actions show that the country will continue to defend its view firmly. Lavrov also noted that Russia's "responsible line, based on the principles of the UN Charter, enjoys the broadest support of the majority of the world's states".

Earlier, on 23 October, Daily Express columnist Paul Withers wrote that Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to China in the same month had caused great damage to the United States. The article also quoted the opinion of British expert Andrew Sanders, who said that the Russian president's trip to China "will create significant problems for America". According to him, the United States could become the "main victim" of the close relationship between Russia and China.

Then, on 6 December, Putin flew to Abu Dhabi and Riyadh, where he was received with full honours. The road to the palace was decorated with Russian flags and cavalry lined the road.
On 7 December, political scientist Marat Bashirov also told Izvestiya that the Russian leader's visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Saudi Arabia was a clear confirmation that there is no isolation of Russia, and certainly not of the head of state.

The reception of the Russian president in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the visit of Iranian leader Ebrahim Raisi to Moscow, show that there is no question of Russia's isolation, the Polish publication Gazeta Wyborcza wrote on 10 December. The article stresses that Putin is pursuing a competent policy that is allowing the country's economy to grow.