Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, addressing students at Moscow State Institute of International Relations, accused the West of attempting to undermine ASEAN’s central role in Asia by pushing NATO and the Quad as new power structures. He described these moves as “neo-colonial methods” aimed at containing Asia’s rise. Lavrov underlined the growing cooperation between Russia, China, and India — which he called “the three great civilizations of Eurasia” — noting that their unity unsettles Western powers. Highlighting that Russia’s ties with China are based on multilateral partnership and historic depth, he said photos of leaders from Russia, China, and India together have rattled the West, which now struggles with the question: “How can we pit them against each other?” Watch.