MOSCOW. July 3 (Interfax) - The primary political objective of the West is to win over countries of the Global South, including BRICS nations, so that they support the plan aimed at Russia's capitulation, but these countries refused to sign joint statements at a meeting in Copenhagen, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with the Radio and Television of Portugal (RTP) media group.
"There is the Zelensky formula, which demands Russia's capitulation and says that a peace agreement with Russia will not be signed before the 'strategic defeat' mentioned by the West. Now, the West has mustered its entire strength and has publicly declared its primary objective on the political track - win over countries of the Global South, including BRICS nations, so that they support the plan aimed at Russia's capitulation. This is what the meeting in Copenhagen, where a number of esteemed countries of the Global South were invited and, as we were told, refused to sign joint statements, was about," Lavrov said.
"Still, such attempts will continue. This is the core of the political process the West seeks to push on everyone else: win over our friends, like-minded, strategic partners so that they back Vladimir Zelensky for the sake of Russia's capitulation. If this is so (and this is really so, as they say it in public), then the quality of diplomatic art leaves much to be desired, to put it mildly," he said.
Speaking of Russia-Africa relations, Lavrov said, Russia has "good relations with African countries."
"Preparations are underway for the 2nd Russia-Africa summit, due in St. Petersburg at the end of July. There will be a number of events. The summit will be supplemented with an economic forum," he said.
"We have regular contacts with African countries. I have visited Africa four times over the past year, I have been to 15 countries. I regularly receive guests from Africa. A deputy chairman of the Sudanese Supreme (Sovereign) Council will be visiting us today," Lavrov said.