Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov declared on May 13 that U.S.-led efforts to pressure Asian nations away from Russian energy resources constitute an attempt to “rule the world” through monopolistic control of global markets. In a statement published by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov criticized Western countries for employing tactics he described as “dirty tricks”—forcing nations to abandon cheap Russian oil in favor of expensive U.S. crude and liquefied natural gas (LNG).
He cited India’s consistent stance on determining its own energy procurement schedules and Japan’s acknowledgment of challenges stemming from the absence of Russian oil as examples of countries resisting such pressures. Lavrov also addressed the recent blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, attributing it to U.S. efforts to dominate global energy supply routes. He noted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been a key architect of this strategy, having “waited for decades” for Washington to target Iran’s energy infrastructure.
The minister emphasized that a foundational principle of globalization—dialogue between energy producers and consumers championed by Western nations over decades—has been dismantled. “Now all this is being destroyed only so that one person can lead these markets,” he stated. Lavrov warned that if the conflict in Iran persists for weeks or months, recovery from the current energy crisis would be further delayed.
