The international situation has been “increasingly deteriorating,” Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned, citing old conflicts reigniting and new emerging flashpoints.

The president made the remarks on Thursday at a ceremony to receive the letters of credence from the new ambassadors of more than 30 nations, including from multiple countries designated as “unfriendly” by Russia. Putin spoke about global security challenges, stating that international cooperation remains one of the key factors of sustainable development and prosperity of humankind. 

“Peace doesn’t come by itself, it’s built, and every day. Peace requires effort, responsibility, and conscious choice. The relevance of this is obvious, especially now, when the situation on the international stage is increasingly deteriorating – I believe no one would argue with that – old conflicts are intensifying, and new serious flashpoints are emerging,” the president stated.  

In the modern world, diplomacy and a search for consensus are “being replaced by unilateral, and quite dangerous, actions,” Putin added. Many countries face the dictate of those taking the “might makes right” approach, he said. 

“Dozens of countries around the world suffer from violation of their sovereign rights, from chaos and lawlessness, and do not have the strength and resources to stand up for themselves,” the president stated.  

The Russian leader called upon all members of the global community to adhere to international law, urging them to support the “emerging, more just multipolar world order.” The president invoked the Ukraine conflict in his speech, listing it as one of the examples of breaching the “indivisibility of security” principle, which outlines that the security of one nation cannot be achieved at the expense of others.  

“This was clearly demonstrated by the crisis around Ukraine, which was a direct consequence of years of ignoring Russia’s legitimate interests and a deliberate course of threatening our security and advancing NATO toward Russia’s borders – contrary to the public promises made to us,” he said while reaffirming Moscow’s commitment to reaching a lasting, sustainable peace in Ukraine.