Russia Still Has Two Allies: Lavrov

The real allies of Russia are its army, navy, and aerospace forces, stated Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, as reported by RIA Novosti.

"We often remember that Russia still has two allies: the army and the navy, but we should certainly add the aerospace forces," he said.

The expression that Russia has only two allies—its army and navy—is attributed to Tsar Alexander III (1881–1894), the website notes.

Lavrov agreed with the assertion that the export of Russian weapons affects Russia's position in global politics and diplomacy, including in the context of high-level negotiations.