(26 Jun 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
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AGENCY POOL
Moscow – 26 June 2025
1. Wide of Russian and Laotian officials sitting down for talks
2. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister:
“You know the history, language and culture of our country very well, and I have no doubt that you will ensure the continuity and further progress of our strategic partnership relations.”
3. Various of talks
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Laotian Foreign Minister:
“As you mentioned, this year is quite important for the Lao PDR and also important the Lao-Russian relation because we commemorate the 65 anniversary.(inaudible) We have enjoyed a very good relation.”
5. Mid of talks
6. Wide of Lavrov and Phomvihane at news conference
7. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister:
“As for the influence of this 5% limit, or rather the 5% target (to increase defense spending in NATO member countries to 5% of GDP), on our security, I do not think it will be significant. We know what goals we are pursuing, we do not hide them, we openly declare them. They are absolutely legal from the point of view of any interpretations, principles of the UN Charter and international law. And we know what means we will always use to ensure these goals.”
8. Wide of Laotian delegation
9. SOUNDBITE (Russian) Sergey Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister:
“We are interested in everyone respecting the repeated statements of Iran, the Supreme Leader of Iran, that Iran does not have and will not have plans to create nuclear weapons. There is a special fatwa on this matter, a religious document that has the highest power in the Islamic Republic. And that’s why it seems to me that everyone is interested in the situation now moving into a political direction.”
10. Wide of Lavrov and Phomvihane shaking hands and leaving
STORYLINE:
A massive hike in NATO defense spending won’t have any significant impact on Russia’s security, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Thursday after talks with his Laotian counterpart Thongsavanh Phomvihane in Moscow.
“As for the influence of this 5% limit, or rather the 5% target, on our security, I do not think it will be significant,” Lavrov said.
“We know what goals we are pursuing, we do not hide them, we openly declare them.”
NATO members agreed to raise their spending targets by 2035 to 5% of gross domestic product annually on core defense requirements as well as defense-and security-related spending. That target had been 2% of GDP.
Commenting on the Israel-Iran war, Lavrov said that everyone seems to be “interested in the situation now moving into a political direction".
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