During a press conference in Moscow, Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, suggested that Britain should drop the word “Great” from its name. Lavrov compared the use of “Great” in Britain’s name to the former official name of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi’s authoritarian rule. He emphasized that while the UK is commonly known as “Great Britain,” its official name is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The term “Great” historically distinguished the island from Brittany in France and dates back to the second century AD.
In response to a question from a UK correspondent, Lavrov clarified that his remarks were not intended to cause offense. The discussion on colonialism also touched on the Greenland crisis, where Lavrov argued that Greenland was a colonial conquest and not a natural part of Denmark or Norway. Additionally, he dismissed claims that Russia sought control over Greenland, attributing such narratives to Western leaders’ alleged preparation for war against Russia.
Lavrov highlighted the need to address the underlying causes of crises, particularly mentioning Ukraine. He criticized Western actions in Ukraine, accusing them of turning the country into a threat to Russia’s security and supporting what he described as an openly Nazi regime that emerged after a coup in 2014. Lavrov’s comments shed light on the geopolitical tensions surrounding Russia and its relations with Western powers.