JCPOA revival, de-dollarization: Lavrov statement after UNSC meeting

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
26 Apr 2023 08:26

The Russian foreign minister questions the dollar's credibility as a global currency and warns against the use of depleted uranium.

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov listens during a news conference at the United Nations, Tuesday April 25, 2023. (AP)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a news conference on Tuesday following his bid to chair a United Nations Security Council meeting, speaking to reporters about the Black Sea grain initiative and the West's sanctions campaign against Russia, among other topics.

During the more than an hour-long press conference, the top diplomat stated that the Black Sea grain deal came to a halt because the "West has chosen not to take the matter seriously," adding that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet been handed over.

Lavrov's remarks about the European Union militarizing at an unprecedented rate and "maintaining an aggressive posture in order to contain Russia" were also noteworthy. The Russian official went on to say that Moscow hopes the West does not declare World War III.

Lavrov on DU sent to Ukraine: one must be aware of responsibilities

Touching on comments that the UK provided Ukraine with thousands of depleted uranium shells, the Russian Foreign Minister said that one should "be aware of one's shared responsibility".

"The UK is an island, so maybe for them, it's less important where this depleted uranium ends up radiating or not radiating whatever it may contain."

It is worth highlighting that Lavrov's comments came just minutes after British Deputy Minister James Heappey said the UK had sent Kiev thousands of shells for Challenger 2 tanks, including those containing depleted uranium.

Heappey cited operational security concerns when he declined to estimate the number of depleted uranium rounds fired by the Ukrainian armed forces.

The British minister admitted that the UK was not keeping track of the locations from which these rounds were fired and took no responsibility to assist Ukraine in removing the depleted uranium rounds after the war.

De-dollarization process has launched

The de-dollarization process, according to Lavrov, has started and shows that the US has not been truthful about it being a shared global currency that will ensure the functioning of the global economies' mechanisms. "The process [of de-dollarization] has been launched," Lavrov said during the briefing.

"The US has proven that they were not telling the truth when for many decades after Nixon's abolishment of the gold standard they claimed: ‘Well, don't worry, even without being backed by gold, this isn't our dollar. This is our shared common global currency that will ensure the functioning of all the mechanisms of the global economies."

Over the past few months, Russia has made a concerted effort to strengthen its economic ties with China, even going so far as to begin using the yuan as a trade currency. In fact, at the start of April, the yuan officially surpassed the dollar in monthly trading volumes, a first for Russia.

Russia's deputy foreign minister, Alexander Pankin, told Sputnik in the weeks that followed that while the change was a "tendency and a trend," it was still uncertain whether the dollar would completely "disappear."

Russia has no comment on Biden 2024 bid

Lavrov refused to comment on US President Joe Biden's re-election announcement, which came a few hours before the meeting.

"Unlike journalists who publicly analyze [the issue], the Russian government does not interfere in the affairs of other states," Lavrov said when asked about the development.

JCPOA revival

Lavrov also emphasized the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action during the press conference on Tuesday. The plan has largely been ignored by the Biden administration, despite the president's prior statements that talks would be resumed.

The Russian foreign minister added that efforts were still being made more difficult by "new requirements" being put forth for a revived Iran nuclear deal, and continued by saying that it would be "a big mistake" to pass up the chance to revive the agreement.

Iran and Russia concurred in late March that the historic agreement had no substitutes and should be re-implemented in accordance with its original guidelines. China, France, Germany, the US, the UK, and the European Union were among the signatories to the agreement in addition to Russia and Iran.