The Western world will see a "very serious reduction" in its ability to "steer the world economy" in the near future and will have to negotiate with Russia, according to the country's foreign minister.
Sergey Lavrov, foreign minister since 2004, made the comments on Monday, according to Russia's TASS news agency.
He said: "In the near future we will see a reduction in the West's opportunities, a very serious reduction in opportunities to steer the world economy the way it wants, and whether it wants it or not, we will have to negotiate."
Lavrov claimed Russia would strengthen cooperation with other powers as Western nations had "broke off almost all relations" since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February, which the Kremlin calls a "special military operation."
He said that Russia is "not going to run after the West" and added: "We will focus on those who have never let us down and with whom we have sometimes achieved very difficult compromises. But when they were achieved, no one ever deceived anyone. With the West, everything is exactly the opposite."
Arguing that an era of Western domination is coming to an end has been a popular talking point for senior Russian politicians over the past few months.
In October, President Putin addressed a conference of the Valdai Discussion Club, a Russian think tank, held to discuss "a post-hegemonic world."
He claimed the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union led to a Western dominated world order where "only its will, its culture, its interests had the right to exist."
Putin continued: "Now this historic age of the West's absolute supremacy in global affairs is ending. The unipolar world is receding into the past."
Whilst definitions of "the West" vary, they almost always include the economically advanced nations of North America, Europe and Oceania. Sometimes parts of central and Latin America are also included, along with advanced Asian democracies such as Japan and South Korea.
The Ukrainian government claims more than 100,000 Russian soldiers have been killed since Putin launched his invasion, though this figure is unverified. Officially Russia has only admitted to the death of fewer than 6,000 soldiers.
In November General Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the Russian military had seen around 100,000 killed and wounded since the war began with Ukraine's military "probably" having a similar figure in addition to civilian casualties.
On Monday three Russian servicemen were killed by a drone attack on Engels-2 air base, which houses many of Russia's Tupolev Tu-95 strategic bombers deep inside the country. According to Moscow the drone was successfully intercepted with the men killed by drone fragments, though this has been questioned by some independent experts.
On December 25 Russia's state controlled Rossiya-1 network broadcast an interview with Putin, who argued those not willing to suffer for Russia are not "true patriots."
He said: "As for the most—99.9%—of our citizens, our people that are ready to sacrifice everything for the Motherland, it doesn't strike me as unusual.
"But it just reassures me yet again that Russia is a special country and it has special people."
As an Orthodox country Russia celebrates Christmas on January 7, rather than December 25 in the west.
Newsweek has contacted Russia's foreign ministry for comment.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
