An increasing amount of states are focused on enforcing their military power to ensure their sovereignty as a result of the degradation of the system of international law, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at an annual news conference.

“We are witnessing a devaluation of international law, and the diminishing role of multilateral institutions. We are also seeing more and more countries banking on boosting their military power, which is seen by them as almost the sole guarantee of preserving their sovereignty under current conditions,” Lavrov said, according to TASS news agency.

Russian minister criticized the United States and their allies, blaming they “…still want to handle matters solely on the basis of dictating and putting forward ultimatums. They do not want to hear the viewpoints of other global policy centers and, actually, do not want to recognize the reality of the emerging multipolar world.”