Lavrov Says NATO-Style Bloc for Asia Is ‘Seriously Discussed’ and Already Named

Sergey Lavrov has claimed that a NATO-style military-political bloc for Asia is under serious discussion and has already been given a name: the “Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization.”

Russia’s foreign minister made the assertion on Nov. 3 at the high-level plenary of the IV Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security in Belarus. In those remarks he did not identify who was discussing the bloc, nor did he cite a country, official or document.

“The creation of a military-political bloc in Asia modeled on NATO is being seriously discussed. They have already come up with a name, and this work began several years ago. The name is the Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization. A copy of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization,” Lavrov said, in Clash Report’s translation of his Russian remarks.

Clash Report has not independently verified that any such bloc is being drafted, and no government has confirmed it.

Moscow’s Framing

Lavrov placed the claim within a broader accusation that the West is seeking to extend its influence into eastern Eurasia. In his account, Western capitals want to control processes on the continent rather than address them collectively.

He said the West had “some time ago” advanced the idea that Euro-Atlantic and “so-called Indo-Pacific” security are indivisible, as a tool for that purpose.

Lavrov also said that when NATO is asked why its infrastructure is spreading beyond members’ territory, the alliance replies that it remains defensive but that threats now emanate from places including the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait. Clash Report has tracked Chinese patrols around a disputed shoal in the South China Sea.

A Familiar Line

The Minsk remarks were not new. On May 22 in Perm, Lavrov said the idea of a new military alliance, “a group similar to NATO,” was being seriously promoted and that “they have even come up with a similar name: the Indo-Pacific Treaty Organisation,” according to the Russian Foreign Ministry’s English transcript.

In Perm, he argued such moves increase outside pressure on China and North Korea, which he called Russia’s closest partners in the region, and on Russia’s interests along its eastern borders.

On Sept. 3 in Vladivostok, Lavrov linked the concept to a bill before the U.S. Congress. He said the legislation “has lain dormant for several months” and described it as a “replication of NATO’s ideology and mindset,” the ministry’s transcript shows.

Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu has also said Tokyo and Washington are “openly discussing” such an organization, TASS reported.

What the U.S. Bill Does

The best-known proposal using the name is the Indo-Pacific Treaty Organization Act, H.R. 3721, introduced on June 4, 2025 by Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican.

The bill would not create an alliance. Its text would require the president to establish, within 180 days of enactment, a task force chaired by the secretary of state.

That body would analyze the conduct of China and North Korea and assess whether a collective security agreement between the U.S. and Indo-Pacific allies and partners could deter further aggression. A report to Congress would be due within a year of its creation.

Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Australia, Thailand, New Zealand and India are listed as possible partners. Lawler has said a NATO-style regional alliance “may be the best way to bolster deterrence and ensure long-lasting peace.”

The Ishiba Episode

The idea has surfaced in Tokyo before. In September 2024, Shigeru Ishiba, then a candidate for the leadership of Japan’s ruling party, wrote in a Hudson Institute paper that Asia lacked a NATO-like collective defense system and floated an “Asian NATO.”

After Ishiba became prime minister, Reuters reported on Oct. 2, 2024 that Japanese ministers said they were not pursuing the proposal. The foreign minister described it as an idea for the future.

Groupings in Moscow’s Sights

Lavrov has repeatedly pointed to existing formats as evidence, in his characterization, of bloc politics taking hold in Asia.

These include AUKUS, comprising the U.S., U.K. and Australia; the Quad of the U.S., Japan, Australia and India; and the SQUAD of the U.S., Japan, Australia and the Philippines. Clash Report has covered calls for Australia to bolster its forward defense against China.

He has also cited the Indo-Pacific Four of South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Australia, all NATO partners. Lavrov argues these are closed formats aimed at containing states that pursue independent policies, and says Moscow favors ASEAN-centered mechanisms.

In Minsk, he further claimed Japan is undergoing accelerated remilitarization and that its political elite under Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is discussing a departure from the three non-nuclear principles, Vedomosti reported. Clash Report reported on Tokyo’s planned defense buildup.

Europe and the OSCE

The conference runs Nov. 3-4 and brings together more than 600 participants from 50 countries, TASS reported. Attendees include Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, OSCE Secretary General Feridun Sinirlioglu and representatives of the CSTO, CIS and SCO.

Lavrov’s address focused on Moscow’s proposed Eurasian security architecture and a Eurasian Charter of Diversity and Multipolarity in the 21st Century. Work on the charter was announced on Sept. 25 on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. He said a working group has been formed and plans to meet for the first time before the end of the year. Moscow has pitched the same multipolar theme at the SCO summit in Bishkek.

On Europe, Lavrov said no prospect of realistic dialogue is visible at present. Russia neither wants nor plans a war with Europe, he said, but would be ready if Europe started one, adding that such a conflict would be different and very short, Interfax reported.

He said Russia would not impose itself or chase after anyone, while keeping its doors open.

Lavrov described the OSCE’s condition as “frankly deplorable” and questioned whether an organization whose history, in his view, symbolizes the failure of the Euro-Atlantic security model has a future.

He also dismissed EU calls for energy, food, air and maritime ceasefires in Ukraine as designed to give Kyiv a respite. He criticized U.K.-French ideas for a freeze along the line of contact backed by international stabilization forces.