Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressed a meeting of Russia’s Business Council on Feb. 6, and discussed the growing rupture between the Global South and the “U.S.-led collective West.” His brief remarks were reported on the Foreign Ministry website:
“All of us are aware that the U.S.-led collective West is persistently trying to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, impede its development and push it to the periphery of international life. They have said this openly and without mincing words. It is obvious that a real hybrid war is being waged against us, and the economy is one of its main battlegrounds…. They are also openly stating their intention to undermine the Russian economy and render it uncompetitive. This is cynical beyond all reason.
