At its regular weekly briefing on November 11, 2026, the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs covered Lavrov’s upcoming travel, the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East, Europe and cultural diplomacy. The briefing was delivered by spokesperson Maria Zakharova. Everything below reflects the Russian government’s stated positions and claims, not independently verified facts.

Lavrov’s Upcoming Travel Schedule

• Abu Dhabi (Nov 13-14): Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will attend the 17th Sir Bani Yas Forum on peace and security. He will outline Russia’s position on Ukraine and the Persian Gulf and meet senior UAE officials. The forum runs under the Chatham House rule.
• Manila (from Nov 17): Lavrov will lead Russia’s delegation to the 21st East Asia Summit. Moscow says it will criticize NATO’s growing presence in Asia and what it calls Western efforts to undermine ASEAN-centered mechanisms. Zakharova also alleged that Canada barred Russian diplomats from an ASEAN Regional Forum defense event in October.
• APEC, China (Nov 18-19): Russia says it supports China’s chairmanship and is seeking to host APEC in 2035. It claims backing from China, Vietnam and Indonesia and cited roughly $500 billion in trade with the Asia-Pacific region.

Ukraine: Talks and Russian Allegations

Zakharova said a Russian delegation had just finished negotiations in Abu Dhabi and referred questions to the delegation’s own briefing. She then made a series of allegations against Ukrainian authorities:

• Corruption schemes tied to a Ukrainian anti-corruption investigation called “Operation Carthage.”
• Mistreatment of draft-evasion protesters at a site in Kyiv.
• Language-policy restrictions.

These are Russian government claims, and several are contested or unverified. She also reported Russian court sentences against Ukrainian and foreign fighters.

On Europe, she dismissed the “coalition of the willing” military trainings held before the Abu Dhabi talks. She argued that European states “have no place at that table” while they arm Ukraine, and she criticized the EU’s plan for a new sanctions-coordination office. Asked about frozen Russian assets, she called their use “theft.” She cited a Moscow court ruling on 18.1 trillion rubles against Euroclear and a Bank of Russia appeal to the EU General Court.

Middle East and Iran

• Gaza: Russia said the October 2025 ceasefire is not being implemented, called the humanitarian situation catastrophic, and urged Israel to restore aid access.
• Lebanon: Moscow supports Lebanon’s sovereignty and UN Resolution 1701, and blamed Israel for most ceasefire violations.
• Iran: Zakharova condemned a new US Defense Department unit aimed at dual-use goods moving across Iran’s borders, including Caspian routes. She said Caspian security is a matter for the five Caspian states. Russia’s offer to take Iran’s enriched uranium remains on the table, but she said the decision belongs to Tehran.

UN Resolution on Glorification of Nazism

Russia said its annual resolution on combating the glorification of Nazism passed the UN General Assembly’s Third Committee on November 10 with 117 votes in favor, 53 against and 9 abstentions. Zakharova criticized Germany, Italy and Japan for voting against it. She also announced a protest note to Berlin over the desecration of a Soviet military memorial in Germany.

Other Announcements

• Japan: Russia defended placing Japanese tobacco company assets under temporary state management, calling it a response to “hostile” measures.
• Poland: Zakharova advised Russians to avoid non-essential travel there after a shooting that injured a Russian citizen.
• France: Russia banned entry to four French lawmakers and journalists in retaliation for the expulsion of an RT France editor.
• UK: She said London itself cut military communication channels in 2024, in response to the British defense minister’s call for more contact.
• Media warning: Russians were cautioned against engaging with BBC Russian Service pollsters.
• Culture: A new regular briefing segment on cultural diplomacy covered Mariinsky tours in China, theater in Kazakhstan, events in India and Bahrain, and the “Diamond Butterfly” film award.
• Other: Russia will take part in the Geneva conference on conventional weapons (Nov 16-20) and COP31 in Türkiye, and a draft Russia-Belarus agrarian policy agreement was endorsed.

Disclaimer: This article summarizes an official briefing by the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, based on an auto-generated YouTube transcript that may contain errors in names, figures and wording. It presents the views and claims of the Russian government, many of which are disputed, unverified or contradicted by other governments, international bodies and independent media. Statements are attributed to the ministry and should not be read as confirmed fact or as the opinion of this publication. Readers should consult multiple independent sources and the ministry’s official website (mid.ru) for accurate quotations.