Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday announced a new foreign policy strategy aimed at curtailing Western “dominance” while drawing the country closer to China and India.
The new strategy appears to view the deterioration of Moscow’s relations with the West over its invasion of Ukraine as a long-term geopolitical reality.
“The Russian Federation intends to eliminate the worldwide dominance of the United States and other unfriendly countries,” the strategy reads.
Russia uses the term “unfriendly countries” to describe those countries that have condemned the invasion of Ukraine and imposed sanctions in retaliation for Moscow’s aggressive military actions.
Announcing the document at a meeting of Russia’s security council, Putin said that updates to Russia’s strategy for engagement on the global stage were necessary due to “radical changes” in global affairs.
The strategy reflects the Russian leader’s increasingly anti-Western stance in the face of sanctions and Western military support for Ukraine, as was also seen in his state-of-the-nation speech in February.
Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the document recognized “the existential nature of threats to the security and development of our country, driven by the actions of unfriendly states.”
“The United States of America is directly named as the main instigator and driver of anti-Russian sentiment,” he said.
The new strategy also highlights Russia’s strengthening ties with China and India, which are described as “friendly sovereign global centers of power and development.”
Moscow has stepped up energy supplies to both China and India after being almost entirely cut off from its traditional European markets by sanctions.