‘America First’ has worrying echoes of Hitler’s ‘Germany above all’ – Lavrov

A foreign policy based on exceptionalism risks undermining the global order, the Russian foreign minister has said

4 FEB 2025 CET RT: FILE PHOTO: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov © Getty Images / Aziz Karimov / Contributor

The United States’ ‘America First’ policy has disturbing similarities to the slogan ‘Germany above all’ used by the Nazis to assert national superiority over others, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has warned. 

In an op-ed for the magazine ‘Russia in Global Affairs’ published on Tuesday, Lavrov argued that Washington’s approach undermines the UN Charter and the post-war global order built on sovereign equality. He noted that this principle was enshrined in the Yalta-Potsdam agreements signed in 1945 by the USSR, US, and UK, shaping the modern international system.

With the administration of US President Donald Trump back in power, Washington’s interpretation of international processes since World War II has taken on a new dimension, Lavrov claimed.

“’America First’ is alarmingly similar to the Hitlerite slogan ‘Germany above all,’” Lavrov said, adding that an approach based on “peace through strength” could be the final blow to diplomacy.

These types of statements and ideological constructs do not show “the slightest bit of respect” for Washington’s international legal obligations under the UN Charter, he argued.

On January 20, immediately following his inauguration, Trump issued a memorandum describing his ‘America First Trade Policy’ as a “critical component to national security.” The document signaled that he would continue the trade policies introduced during his first term, prioritizing the US economy.

“However, today is not 1991 or even 2017, when the incumbent US President took the helm for the first time,” Lavrov wrote.

Citing Russian analysts, he argued that a return to the previous global order, which is still pursued by the US and its allies, is impossible, as demographic, economic, social, and geopolitical shifts have become irreversible. He expressed hope that the US will eventually accept a new role as one of several global powers rather than as hegemon.

Multipolarity is gaining momentum, Lavrov went on to say, suggesting that instead of opposing it, the US could in the foreseeable future become a “responsible” center of power along with Russia, China, and other countries in the Global South, East, North, and West.

The foreign minister stressed that the UN Charter provides the best framework for managing global affairs in the multipolar era, “when everyone must observe − not only in word, but in deeds − the principles of the sovereign equality of states, non-interference in their internal affairs, and other fundamental principles.”

He warned against “brazen attempts to reorder the world in one’s own interest,” which violate the principles of the UN and can bring instability, confrontation, and even catastrophe.

“Given the current level of international tensions, a reckless rejection of the Yalta-Potsdam system, with the UN and its Charter at its core, will inevitably lead to chaos,” Lavrov said, adding that Russia is ready for honest, joint work to balance interests and strengthen the legal principles of international relations.