FORMER colonies are “leaving the West behind,” Russia’s top diplomat told the United Nations on Wednesday.

During a press conference at the UN in New York, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said countries that told others how to live for half a millennium and believe they are “masters of the universe” ignore that the overwhelming majority of ex-colonies and are now independent and want to buttress their cultural and religious identity.

He said these ex-colonial states are “leaving the West behind,” pointing to the Brics economic bloc of developing economies that includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Ethiopia all became new members of Brics in January.

Mr Lavrov said “the ex-colonial powers have to face up to the reality in today’s world.

“You shouldn’t just think that you’re so strong just because you have the dollar.”

Mr Lavrov’s attacks reflect a widening divide between global South countries and the West, though will attract accusations of hypocrisy given Russia’s invasion of and annexation of territory from Ukraine, formerly part of the Russian empire and later the Soviet Union but whose independent borders were recognised by Moscow in 1991.

The foreign minister also said that the US, South Korea and Japan are preparing for war with North Korea.

He said that this new military bloc is building up activity and conducting large-scale exercises. 

The US, South Korea and Japan have described their combined military drills as defensive in nature and necessary to cope with growing North Korean nuclear threats.

But, Mr Lavrov said: “All of a sudden South Korea’s rhetoric became even more hostile towards Pyongyang.”

“Japan, as well... is seriously talking about setting up Nato infrastructure with US assistance.”

He also told the press conference that a ceasefire in Gaza and the creation of a Palestinian state was vital for resolving the current crisis in Gaza and across the region.

Negotiations between Hamas and Israel “distract” attention from the essence of the problem: establishing an immediate ceasefire, he argued.

He insisted that the creation of a Palestinian state with pre-1967 borders and a capital in East Jerusalem is the only way to comply with the decisions of the UN security council and the UN general assembly.