The Kremlin's new 42-page foreign policy doctrine sets out the changes to Moscow's view of the world and states that the West is trying to weaken Russia in "every possible way".
ADVERTISEMENTRussian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Friday that a new foreign policy document adopted by President Vladimir Putin identifies the West as posing an “existential” threat to Moscow.
"The existential nature of threats to the security and development of our country, driven by the actions of unfriendly states is recognised" in the policy, Lavrov said during a televised meeting with Russia's security council.
Updates to Russia's strategy for engagement on the global stage were necessary, he said, due to "revolutionary changes" in the world, announcing he had formally adopted the new 42-page document.
Russia's relationship with the West has reached new lows since it launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine last year.
"The United States of America is directly named as the main instigator and driver of anti-Russian sentiment," Lavrov added.
He maintained that the new document outlines how Moscow could take "symmetric and asymmetric measures in response to unfriendly actions against Russia" and said the paper specifies that the West has tried to undermine Moscow's military, economic and technological potential.
China and India are now officially designated as Russia's main partners.
The new policy announcement follows Chinese leader Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow earlier this month when he and Putin stressed their two countries' deepening ties.