Lavrov: "The Dollar Should Be a Global Public Good, Not a Weapon of Punishment"

The US dollar should function as a global public good, facilitating the effective operation of the world economy, and not as an instrument of punishment against those whose policies do not align with US interests, emphasized Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday.

Lavrov recalled that, two or three decades ago, US officials asserted that "the dollar is not the property of the United States." He stressed that it is "a common good that guarantees, lubricates, and allows for a more effective functioning of the entire world economy." However, he criticized its transformation into a weapon of coercion.

In this regard, he mentioned that even President Donald Trump, during his electoral campaign, condemned the use of the dollar as a sanctions tool, an "instrument of punishment for the disobedient" to achieve political and ideological objectives. Nevertheless, Lavrov highlighted an apparent contradiction, recalling that during his second term, the same Trump openly criticized the BRICS group for "challenging the dollar's dominance."

The Foreign Minister explained that Russia was forced to develop alternative payment systems precisely because it was "cut off" from the dollar system, which has become an instrument of political pressure. In response to this situation, President Vladimir Putin has clarified that Moscow did not seek to abandon the US currency but was excluded from it through unilateral decisions, Lavrov concluded.