ISTANBUL

Moscow said on Thursday that Western policies against Russia are part of a broader “crusade” of the US and its allies. 

“It is obvious that Western aggression against Russia is only part of the crusade of the US and its allies against any member of the international community that demonstrates independence and defends national interests,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said during an international conference in the Belarusian capital Minsk.

Lavrov said the West has “destroyed” the system of confidence-building measures and arms control in Europe, adding that Washington’s withdrawal from related treaties and the deployment of nuclear weapons in a number of European countries serve as examples.

“Russia is forced to resort to compensatory measures taking into account the US actions in the field of security in Europe,” Lavrov said.

He added that the situation around Taiwan is being deliberately escalated by the West through various platforms, namely the AUKUS trilateral security pact between Australia, the UK and the US.

AUKUS is a security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region, under which the US and the UK will assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines.

The US has been eager to spread its influence to Central Asia and the South Caucasus and continues to affect the situation in the Middle East, Lavrov also said.