Excerpts from the briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, December 27, 2023
- Sergey Lavrov’s talks with Minister of External Affairs of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
- Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s news conference on the performance of Russian diplomacy in 2023
- Ukraine update
- Attempts to “Maidanise” protests in Serbia
- Joint Statement by North Macedonia, Poland, Malta and Finland on challenges to security in the OSCE area
- EU’s anti-Russia sanctions
- EU activities in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic
- Decision by the Republic of Korea to impose new export controls on Russia
- Operation Desert Fox against Iraq by the US and the UK marks 25th anniversary
- 65th anniversary of the liberation of Cuba
- Russia’s upcoming chairmanship of the CIS
- The International Affairs article on Ukrainian Nazism
- David Cameron’s statements
- Armenia’s EAEU Chairmanship in 2024
- China’s presence in Africa
- Situation with the Community of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo
- Pressure by the collective West on Serbia
- Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements
- US military assistance to Israel
- Situation with Arctic LNG-2
- Prospects for strategic stability dialogue with the United States
- Josep Borrell’s statements
- Japanese military exports
- Interference into the election campaign in Russia
- Ukrainian crisis update
- Belovezh Accords and their impact on the breakdown of the USSR
- Potential lawsuit against the collective West to seek compensation for damages caused by the Ukraine conflict
- New Year wishes to the people of Armenia
- Summing up the 2023 results
Sergey Lavrov’s talks with Minister of External Affairs of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar
On December 27, Sergey Lavrov will hold talks in Moscow with Minister of External Affairs of the Republic of India Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.
The ministers will review their countries’ positions on current international issues, focusing on interaction at the UN, the SCO and the G20, and will also discuss the priorities of Russia’s BRICS chairmanship in 2024.
They will hold an in-depth exchange of views on the creation of a fair security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, the situation around Ukraine and in Afghanistan and the Palestinian-Israeli confrontation.
After the talks, the ministers will hold a news conference which will be broadcast live.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s news conference on the performance of Russian diplomacy in 2023
In January 2024, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold a traditional news conference on the key foreign policy events in 2023.
The date of the event (for accreditation purposes) will be announced later.
Ukrainian neo-Nazis have not ceased their barbarous shelling of residential districts in several Russian regions, inflicting damage and bringing suffering to civilians. They are extensively using large-calibre artillery and multiple launch rocket systems supplied by the West, as well as drones.
On December 20, 2023, six people were wounded during Ukrainian armed forces’ attacks in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
On December 21, 2023, Bandera’s followers shelled Donetsk and Gorlovka, killing one civilian and wounding five people, including a teenage girl born in 2007. One missile hit the Donetsk Region Trauma Centre. Damage has also been done to the transport depot, where two trolley-buses were destroyed
Residential blocks and private houses, the library and the third block of Donetsk National Technical University, as well as other social and civilian infrastructure facilities have been damaged.
In the night of December 22, 2023, Ukrainian forces ruthlessly struck a school and a kindergarten in the Kalanchak District of the Kherson Region, gravely wounding a security guard. The children only came to no harm because they were not in the building at that time of the day.
The same day, five Emergencies Ministry firefighting personnel and a worker of a utility enterprise were damaged in drone attacks, with Ukrainians deliberately targeting the fire team that was putting out a fire.
Ukrainian nationalists also attacked the Belgorod Region. On December 22, 2023, they shelled a Shebekino suburb, and on December 23, 2023, they sent a suicide drone at a bridge in the Graivoron District, injuring five people.
A massive attack was launched on Gorlovka at night of December 24, 2023. One local woman was killed, 10 people were injured, the Galaktika mall burned down, and a school and an art museum were damaged.
Regrettably, the West continues to turn a blind eye to these crimes committed by their Kiev wards or even rejoices at the clever investment in the Kiev regime. The Russian law enforcement authorities continue to thoroughly investigate all the details of every crime in order to bring the Ukrainian servicemen and their commanders who issued the criminal orders to justice.
The Russian Federation courts issue verdicts based on the evidence collected by the Investigative Committee of Russia against the Ukrainian neo-Nazis who committed grave crimes against civilians.
Last week, prison sentences ranging from 20 to 25 years were handed down to ten members of the Azov nationalist regiment for committing crimes against Mariupol residents in the spring of 2022, namely, Nikolai Kuzmenko, Alexey Kachuyevsky, Bogdan Pechko, Anatoly Mogilny, Vladislav Sygys, Nikolai Svyatoi, Vadim Logosha, Yaroslav Bezmenov, Maxim Dubrov and Igor Potapov.
In the spring of 2022, Ukrainian militants Sergey Benza, Yan Danilov and Andrey Khristoforovich received lengthy prison sentences ranging from 24 years to life for committing heinous crimes against civilians in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
In the spring of 2022, Ukrainian neo-Nazi Denis Rashplya carried out criminal orders from his superiors, killing 16 civilians in Mariupol. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison.
In the spring of 2022, Yevgeni Poptsov, another Bandera supporter, participated in attacks on residential areas in the Donetsk People’s Republic alongside other militants from the Armed Forces of Ukraine. He was sentenced to 28 years in prison in absentia.
On December 25, 2023, Chief of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate Kirill Budanov, was arrested in absentia on terrorism charges by Moscow’s Basmanny District Court. He is accused of masterminding and committing 104 crimes on Russian territory under Article 205 of the Russian Federation’s Criminal Code (terrorist attack).
We will continue to investigate crimes committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis, ensuring that none of them go unpunished.
The world is becoming increasingly weary of the Kiev regime, leading to a reduction in financial and military assistance from the West. In these circumstances, the Zelensky regime is willing to take any action necessary to bring the Ukrainian conflict back into the international spotlight.
They remember the success of their provocation in Bucha, conducted under the guidance of Washington and London. The West discussed it non-stop for so long. However, this was followed by complete silence once they were confronted with concrete evidence. This issue made front-page news in the first few months. The entire Western international community, including representatives of international organisations, visited Bucha. Every day, Western journalists contributed front-page news stories on this issue to newspapers and online publications. They prepared news reports, and there were plans to film documentaries. However, everything changed when it was revealed that there were no official lists of the deceased. These lists are compiled following any tragedy, such as air crashes, shipwrecks and terrorist attacks. Information agencies publish the names of the deceased on dedicated websites, listing their dates of birth and passport information. This is done to honour their memory, inform their families and friends and confirm the fatalities. However, no such data are available for Bucha, there are no names, dates of birth and passport information. These details are completely absent because it was a deliberate provocation.
The Kiev regime is now hatching similar plans. It is possible that they will stage another anti-Russia provocation using Western-made toxic agents. After that, they will initiate a new campaign involving UN agencies and international media outlets to accuse Russia of deliberately using chemical weapons. This issue gained prominence several years ago, when the West openly expressed its anti-Russia stance regarding the chemical dossier.
According to our sources, the Security Service of Ukraine is actively involved in preparing this provocation. They have enlisted the services of the Kiev-based Realab, a Ukrainian company that imports chemical reagents and precursors. In October-November 2023, the firm purchased a small batch of triethanolamin and a nitrogen-containing sodium compound manufactured by US corporation Honeywell Research Chemicals, in Selz, Germany.
What are these substances? Triethanolamin is included in the Annex on Chemicals to the Chemical Weapons Convention and is subject to annual declaration. This compound serves as a precursor for synthesising nitrous mustard gas, a blistering agent. The highly toxic nitrogen-containing sodium compounds produce effects similar to cyanide.
According to Russian specialists, the Security Service of Ukraine could use these chemicals to create a chemical warfare agent and carry out a limited-scale provocation in an area controlled by the Kiev regime, located near the positions of Russian forces.
Mustard gas has been around since World War I. The Germans used it in combat and called this agent Gift der Gifte – the poison of all poisons. Banned under various conventions, it was not used during World War II, since even Hitler honoured these conventions. However, the Ukrainian neo-Nazis intend to go even further than their Nazi idols.
The Zelensky regime continues to demonstrate its zeal in following the agenda of its overseas masters, which consists of waging war until there are no Ukrainians left alive. They could not care less about the consequences of this provocation, just as they disregarded the fallout from using depleted uranium bombs, which were supplied by the UK to the Kiev regime. Nevertheless, they call the land where they used these shells their own. By the same token, they do not care about members of the Ukrainian Armed Forces – those serving the Kiev regime or those who were literally dragged to serve under Vladimir Zelensky’s banners against their will. He and his entire gang do not care about the consequences people will face there if this provocation takes place. Ensuring their own survival is what matters the most to them while the whole world can see what the reckless undertaking by the US and the UK to prop up the Kiev regime and create a bulwark against our country is worth.
Fewer people are willing to take up arms and fight for the Ukrainian government, rotten as it is by pervasive corruption and nationalism. Over the past year, conscription stations sent about 40,000 people into the army, failing to offset the casualties suffered by the Ukrainian Armed Forces during their so-called counteroffensive.
To achieve the required result, Ukraine decided to amend its laws by de facto designating a substantial part of its population as slaves and depriving them of any rights. They are getting ready to hunt down those who fall within the conscription age range as part of the mobilisation effort, and plan to force Ukrainian men who fled abroad to escape the war to come back in order to mobilise them into the army.
The would-be democratic Europe has already responded to this Banderite proposal. On December 22, 2023, Interior Minister of Estonia Lauri Läänemets said that Tallin would help Kiev by extraditing the draft dodgers. Do you know why? Because those who sought refuge in Estonia and wanted to stay there for some time need food, work and healthcare. Estonia never wanted to take on this role. What it wanted was to promote an anti-Russia, Russophobic agenda by targeting our country with an endless stream of media and political attacks. What it wanted was to be part of the Baltic “choir” denouncing and rejecting in a single voice everything dealing with our culture, history, our country and its people. However, Estonia never wanted to undertake the mission of enabling those who heard the Western voices and came there to live in minimal dignity. It has now jumped on the occasion offered by this project, the idea of extraditing Ukrainian nationals and handing them over to the Kiev regime, and will enthusiastically go down this road to spare itself the need to feed these people. There are similar discussions underway in Poland and other countries, according to media reports.
All this demonstrates yet again that the Kiev regime views Ukraine and its people as a bargaining chip, or cannon fodder. They are ready to sacrifice their people for the sake of self-preservation and satisfying the Western interests. This is what the West pays them for.
Vladimir Zelensky held his annual news conference on December 19, 2023, to sum up the year. What did it show? What we saw was uncertainty within the Kiev regime about its future considering the growing weariness in the West with the regime’s failures. Washington, London and Brussels are becoming increasingly irritated by all the begging by their Ukrainian underlings. Western taxpayers are less and less willing to sponsor this corrupt regime.
The sooner the collective West understands that the Ukraine conflict it provoked can be settled only by achieving the special military operation’s objectives, the sooner there will be peace.
As you know, starting this year, Ukraine celebrates the Orthodox Christmas on December 25 instead of January 7. This was an entirely political decision, and they did not hide that their goal was to be “closer to Europe.” Believers usually mark religious holidays to be closer to God, but Ukraine decided to celebrate Christmas to be “closer to Europe.”
Adherents of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine tried in vain to organise a festive service in the churches that once belonged to the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. They must have pinned great hopes on the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra as the planned centre of the celebrations. However, something went wrong. The monastery’s Assumption Cathedral, usually filled to capacity, was practically empty, judging by publications in the media. Is it “the hand of Moscow” or “the Kremlin’s intrigues” again? What will they invent this time? A similar situation was observed in other churches and monasteries in Ukraine.
People are tired of the endless lies the Kiev regime is telling and the thieving Ukrainian authorities who sacrifice the interests of the country and the people for another tranche of foreign financing. Vladimir Zelensky has “killed” Ukraine.
Zelensky's vainglorious statements about Ukraine now celebrating Christmas together with Europe for the first time do not hold water. Who believes it? One might recall that historically, the country celebrated Christmas on December 25 only under the Nazis. I know this sounds incredible, but it is a fact. It was how it was in 1941-1944, when Ukraine was occupied by Nazis. And now they are doing it again, when Bandera’s followers have seized power. But the people have made their choice and resisted manipulation. They did so irrespective of their political views. In this particular situation, at this point in their lives, they saw where the truth was and where lies were.
However, the Kiev regime is not going to stop there. Ukrainians and their children are going to be deprived of the main symbol of the New Year. Father Frost has been declared an enemy. I am not kidding. He is either dismissed as a relic of the Soviet past, or more or less labelled an “agent of the Kremlin.” A European interpretation of this character is being consistently imposed on young Ukrainians and their parents. I do not want to even comment on this. But I cannot fail to mention it or take it into account. After all, this ideology, which goes against Ukraine’s own history and traditions, is being financed from abroad.
On the threshold of 2024, we would like to make a wish that the Ukrainians get rid of the neo-Nazis in Kiev, who are turning the country into a scorched earth to please their Western bosses, depriving people of their historical memory or hope for a better future.
And let nothing prevent them from celebrating the New Year and Christmas despite the bloodshed, heresy and lies spread by the Zelensky regime!
Again – there are numerous media accounts of people in Ukraine who have not succumbed to this new political manipulation with the rewriting of their own religious dogmas. They speak volumes.
Attempts to “Maidanise” protests in Serbia
A week after the extraordinary parliamentary election in the Republic of Serbia, an attempt has been made to “Maidanise” the protests in Belgrade under the pretext of alleged election fraud. They are using standard tactics straight from Western handbooks, which have been repeatedly used in a number of countries, with invariably tragic results.
Following a well-worn pattern, some “activists” mobilised by various agencies have acted as instigators; it is no secret that they are paid and controlled from outside. Several days of provocations peaked on December 24, when a 2,000-strong crowd tried to storm the Belgrade city hall. Those protesters were allegedly defending democracy. The police responded with maximum restraint, persistently urging the protesters to leave, and did everything possible to prevent those behind the upheaval from bringing about unfortunate consequences. It was not until significant material damage was done to the building that the law enforcement units decided to intervene and make arrests. Dozens of police officers were injured, some of them seriously, during the illegal actions.
It is as clear as day that those who initiated and implemented this shameful, illegal act were aiming to destabilise the situation. This had nothing to do with the elections. We know this from experience. These instigators are committing violence against Serbia itself, against the Serbian people, against members of the Interior Ministry and other state bodies that are carrying out their duty to protect the people. While cynically posing as fighters for justice and using all the human rights talk again, their behaviour shows their true attitude towards the values they champion.
The majority expressed its opinion in the December 17 election where Serbs convincingly reaffirmed their support for the current government led by President Aleksandar Vučić. International observers, including those from Russia, have found no issues that could dramatically affect the election results.
Attempts to revise the results of the vote by force and by fomenting anarchy have little to do with democracy.
We have taken note of the “policy paper” issued on December 19 by North Macedonia, which is serving as the OSCE Chairmanship-in-Office in 2023, as well as past and future chairs: Poland (2022), Malta (2024) and Finland (2025).
What we have before us is yet another non-consensual statement, conveying in an exaggerated form the political approaches of the collective West, primarily with regard to what is happening in Ukraine. There are no attempts to analyse the Organisation's current deep crisis and propose ways out of it.
The text is blatantly anti-Russian and contains a full set of well-known Russophobic clichés. The authors apparently sought to adjust the impression given by the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting held in Skopje (November 30 − December 1), which, contrary to the wishes of Western radicals, was attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. As you know, this was played out as a drama. Under pressure from Washington, a number of representatives of the collective West came up with the idea of staging a photo op on the eve of the opening the OSCE Ministerial Council in order to show that Russia was not present. And on the following day, during the actual opening of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting, where Sergey Lavrov was present, several countries demarched and said that they would deliberately not attend the event. The idea of provocation failed because it was uncovered.
We have explained in detail why this was not even a provocation, but a staged event had been planned. When the Westerners became victims of their own PR moves, they apparently decided to adjust the impression given and issued this very statement by the current-present-past chairmanships.
Unfortunately, in the review that was presented, the Maltese chairmanship, which will start on January 1, 2024, did not bother to outline its plans to restore the full-scale work of the Organisation, which is in a deep crisis. What we are waiting for from Valletta is not the thoughtless promotion of politically-motivated Western attitudes, but an assessment of the real situation in the pan-European area and specific steps to resume constructive dialogue, failing which it will simply not be possible to preserve the OSCE.
A trade war is underway, the aggression of the collective West against its competitors: Russia and China. The 12th package of sanctions adopted by the European Council on December 18, 2023, includes an import ban on Russian aluminium wire, foil and certain types of aluminium pipes.
This decision was a direct result of the lobbying efforts by some major Western aluminium producers. They even had the audacity to send an open letter with this request to the European Commission in early December. In that letter, they spoke in favour of restrictive measures against Russian aluminium and insisted that these measures allegedly would not harm the EU’s production. Their point was that the Russian share of aluminium products could be easily replaced by EU production, as well as imports from other countries, in this way ensuring a more reliable, sustainable and stable supply of aluminium products in the interests of European consumers.
Imports is the key word. Half of the companies that signed the letter are represented by Anglo-Saxons: the American companies Alcoa and Novelis, British-Australian Rio Tinto, and British Alvance. And they even make no secret of their intent to keep going and continue lobbying for more sanctions against Russian aluminium producers.
They are not concerned about the developments in Ukraine and the humanitarian situation there. They are only worried about their own gain and the opportunity to beat the competition using corrupt and illegal measures.
We are seeing an integration of dirty politics with corrupt business. The anti-Russia restrictions have yet again been used for unscrupulous competitive practices, including the EU’s all-consuming desire to serve the American political and economic interests.
Let us now talk about European consumers, about whom the sanctions do not say a word. Sanctions are rubber-stamped only against us. Nothing is said about the lives of ordinary people in the European Union. Then these sanctions receive many words of support from EU people. And now comes the interesting part.
In November 2023, the Federation of Aluminium Consumers in Europe, which unites mainly medium and small enterprises, addressed the European Commission and the European Council. The reason for the address was the abovementioned active lobbyist efforts of major aluminium corporations, monopolists in fact.
According to the consumers, the introduction of even limited sanctions on Russian aluminium will inevitably raise prices, put hundreds of companies in the EU at risk of being shut down, and will have a negative impact on the industrial potential of the European Union and the implementation of measures towards the green economy. While Russia, which produces aluminium in accordance with the highest environmental standards, (as emphasised in the Federation’s address), will not suffer major damage and will redistribute its supply to other markets.
What does this mean? It means that the small and medium businesses that represent the real sector of the economy, which are not monopolists and do not deal with abnormal profit and American lobbyists, are shouting at the top of their voices that the anti-Russia sanctions will kill the sector related to the supply of aluminium.
Further developments showed that Brussels again refused to listen to reason. It is not the first time and probably will not be the last. At least, there are no visible signs that the EU authorities, even prior to next year’s election to the European Parliament and the change in the leadership of the European Council and European Commission, will start to think about the consequences of their anti-Russian and anti-European sanctions policy.
It is clear whose interests Brussels is serving. First, it acts against its own citizens and EU residents. Second, it serves the monopolists whose companies or interests are directly related to Washington and London.
EU activities in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic
This was not the first time this happened. Look at what happened with the vaccine, which Brussels officials reportedly purchased for EU citizens but in reality, to safeguard the financial interests of Washington and London, primarily Washington. This has happened before. Neither civil society, individual civil advocates, nor the general public have received any answers to questions about the reasons why the European Commission and the Brussels administration bought the American vaccine in such quantities and at such a price, how they used it, the quality of the vaccine and the consequences of its use. All that information was kept secret. Europeans will never receive answers to these questions. I will provide a concrete example to demonstrate what I am referring to.
The EU’s actions during the Covid-19 pandemic raised and continue to raise many questions, including in Europe, just like what is currently happening with aluminium. Initially, the European Commission signed contracts for vaccine supply exclusively with Western producers, including US Moderna, which by that time had not produced a single medicine of its own.
The contracts were signed even before the vaccines were approved by the European Medicines Agency, that is, before they were authorised. Astounding amounts of money were paid from the EU countries’ budgets, that is, from the pockets of European tax-payers. The sum has grown from dozens of billions to hundreds of billions of euros. The number of vaccines bought exceeded the number of people living in the EU several times over. Overall, they bought over four billion doses from eight producers.
The most incredible thing is that, although Brussels acted as the main advocate of financial integrity and the fighter against corruption, the terms of the contracts were kept secret. They were only disclosed to a few individuals who pledged confidentiality. However, the details that leaked to the media showed that these were unfair terms. Producers were promised compensation even if the reduction of deliveries was justified. As you can imagine, the option of cancelling deliveries was not stipulated. Pfizer sued Hungary and Poland when they attempted to do that. The contracts signed with the involvement of the European Commission stipulate that the EU countries will continue to buy the vaccines until 2027, even in the absence of demand. The diseases will change, but not the vaccine.
The agreement between President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and Pfizer have led to one criminal case and two administrative proceedings, including at the EU Court of Justice, none of which have been settled. According to media reports, the former prime minister and two health ministers of Romania have been charged with and can be brought to justice for causing serious financial damage to the state by ordering an excessive number of vaccine doses.
It has turned out that a large number of unwanted vaccine doses should be destroyed. Italy must dispose of about 15 million doses before the year end. In short, EU taxpayer money will go down the drain.
These unwanted vaccines could have been sent free of charge to the countries that needed and requested them. But the EU acted as it always does: get enough for itself first and share excessive amounts with others later or never. The same is happening now with the EU’s purchases of Ukrainian agricultural products.
Tireless in its concern for the global pharmaceutical business interests, Brussels seems to be forgetting about the real needs of its own citizens. Even the European Commission had to admit to an acute shortage of critical medicines in EU member states. According to some MEPs, this problem has become truly chronic. According to estimates voiced in the European Parliament, Belgium and Italy had a shortage of 3,000 medicines each last year. Last winter, during the seasonal outbreak of acute respiratory viral infections in France, there were interruptions in the supply of even basic medicines such as Efferalgan, paracetamol and a number of antibiotics. In total, about 280 medicines were unavailable there, and 212 in Ireland.
They mocked Russia and used every opportunity to try to sway the situation in our country, including with regard to medicines and vaccines. In public, EU officials explain this state of affairs by citing disrupted supply chains of active components from abroad. That’s a shame. And it’s your own doing – the EU, the European Commission and various offices in Brussels have adopted these sanctions to destroy global logistics, including disrupting shipments across Europe and cutting off financial transactions. I am not even talking about the endless sanctions against companies and people desperately trying to restore this very supply chain on the European continent. And then you cite this as the reason for drug shortages for European citizens. Genius.
In reality, there’s evidence that points to pharmaceutical giants discontinuing the production of drugs people need due to low profitability. Apparently, they are doing this to scale up the output of expensive drugs, which later end up in landfills. So there’s a natural question: whose interests are the EU leaders really lobbying for?
The answer is obvious – the interests of the Anglo-Saxon duo. We are sure that ordinary Europeans will later give a principled assessment of the activities of high-ranking EU appointees led by Ursula von der Leyen, who are emptying EU citizens’ pockets with tremendous success.
I would suggest another version, although I do not insist on it. It explains why tens of billions of euros’ and dollars’ worth of vaccines purchased in the EU are being destroyed by the tens of millions. First, because a growing number of studies reveal their poor quality and harmful side effects, which cause irreparable damage to patients’ health instead of preserving it or helping people overcome or prevent a disease. As they say, and no one will be the wiser.
Second, because it will be impossible to tell if the vaccines were actually supplied. They were purchased – on paper – but the products were later destroyed. Will anyone be able to verify if those tens or hundreds of billions of euros were spent on a bad vaccine – or to buy hot air? Their reports and certificates will say the vaccines were destroyed. This is not just corruption on a global scale; this is the collective West, the Western world, destroying every single principle, foundation or value they have proclaimed as civilisational for themselves.
Decision by the Republic of Korea to impose new export controls on Russia
On December 26, 2023, the Republic of Korea added 682 products to the list of goods and technology subject to export controls. A special permit will be required to supply them to Russia. This is already Seoul’s third package of anti-Russia economic sanctions, which are expected to come into force in early 2024 in connection with the second anniversary of Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine.
Taken at Washington’s orders, this unfriendly step is not only deeply regrettable, but runs counter to South Korea’s stated commitment to maintaining constructive relations with Russia. Importantly, this undermines the South Korean economy and manufacturing.
These new South Korean restrictions will be a blow to Russia’s practical cooperation with the Republic of Korea, which has already suffered serious damage after Seoul joined the illegal sanctions imposed by the collective West against Russia. Of course, all this will have a negative impact on our bilateral ties in all their aspects.
Russia reserves the right to take reciprocal actions. Moreover, we will make sure that the measures we take are not necessarily symmetrical. So, they should not be surprised later.
Operation Desert Fox against Iraq by the US and the UK marks 25th anniversary
Speaking of history, and since the West tends to forget it, 25 years ago, on December 17, 1998, Operation Desert Fox – an attack by the US and the UK against Iraq without a UN mandate, started. Baghdad’s alleged refusal to cooperate with the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) offered a formal pretext for carrying out a massive bombing attack against a sovereign state. On December 15, 1998, the commission’s chair, Richard Butler, released a misleading report containing a groundless conclusion on Iraq’s failure to fully cooperate. He went on to evacuate the entire UNSCOM staff from the country without consulting the UN Security Council. It was this document that the Anglo-Saxons used as a pretext for launching their military campaign.
Many experts believe that the domestic political crisis in the United States was the true cause behind this operation. In 1998, the White House tried everything to distract Americans from the Congressional hearings on the Monica Lewinsky scandal and the possible impeachment of President Bill Clinton. A small victorious war was what they needed at that time.
Russia and China firmly rejected the aggression by the United States and the United Kingdom against Iraq.
British and US air forces carried out 650 combat flights within 73 hours, dropping over 600 bombs on Iraqi territory and launching hundreds of cruise missiles. According to the Iraqi authorities, these US strikes left several dozen civilians dead and over a hundred wounded.
Discredited by the operation, UNSCOM was dismantled. This was one of the consequences of Operation Desert Fox. In January 1999, evidence emerged in the media revealing that UNSCOM relied on US intelligence data to infiltrate Iraq’s security systems and track President Saddam Hussein’s movements. It was also claimed that CIA engineers, posing as UN technicians, installed equipment to spy on Iraqi sites. In December 1999, the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) replaced UNSCOM. However, this did not prevent the United States from launching, with support of its coalition allies, an armed invasion of Iraq on March 20, 2023, under the far-fetched pretext of destroying weapons of mass destruction. As we now know, no WMDs were ever found there. It was only later that the US was forced to admit that the manipulations with the Colin Powell vials were not even a bluff, but a hoax.
Operation Desert Fox showed the whole world the true nature of US politics – its readiness to use any available means to achieve its domestic and foreign policy objectives, even if it means launching an aggression against sovereign states in violation of international law.
65th anniversary of the liberation of Cuba
I would like to draw special attention to an upcoming date: on January 1, Cuba will celebrate the 65th anniversary of the victory of the Cuban Revolution in 1959. This day is now known as Liberation Day in Cuba.
The people of Cuba, more than anyone else, understand the significance of the journey towards true sovereignty, and, above all, the importance of preserving and defending it in the face of unprecedented long-term, severe pressure from the United States. We admire the will and determination of the Cuban people in firmly defending their right to choose their own path of development.
Over the years, the Island of Freedom has transformed into a modern democratic state, where the constitutional rights of its citizens are protected. It has achieved internationally recognised success in areas such as medicine, healthcare, education, culture, tourism, and more. Cuba enjoys a high international standing. Many nations are grateful to Havana for its assistance in their struggle for liberation from colonialism, the training of their own human resources, and its leading role in promoting the interests of developing countries on the global stage. Cuba consistently and actively advocates for the respect of universally recognised principles of international law, the strengthening of multilateralism, and the central role of the UN in the global system. Despite the US embargo, Cuba did its utmost to not only help itself but also others during the most challenging months of the pandemic.
We are pleased that throughout all these years, despite the thousands of kilometres that separate us, Russia and Cuba have maintained close ties of friendship, strategic partnership, and constructive cooperation in a wide range of areas, all in the interest of our peoples, international peace, security, and friendly solidarity. Recently, the Island of Freedom has become even closer to us with the launch of direct flights between Moscow and Havana by Rossiya Airlines on December 24.
The Russian Federation, along with the overwhelming majority of countries, has consistently advocated for the complete and immediate lifting of the illegitimate and inhumane economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba. We also call for the removal of Cuba from the United States administration's arbitrary list of state sponsors of terrorism. These are clear examples of Washington's use of political blackmail and coercion to force compliance with its dictates.
Together with Cuba, we will continue to fight for the prompt abolition of the embargo, a shameful relic of the past, and against the practice of illegitimate unilateral restrictions. This will undoubtedly contribute to improving international relations and building a multipolar, fair world order based on equality, mutual respect, and compliance with international law.
On behalf of the Ministry, I would like to extend our best wishes for well-being, prosperity and peace to the people of this wonderful brotherly country.
Russia’s upcoming chairmanship of the CIS
On January 1, 2024,
- It is planned to pay special attention to deepening economic integration, including interaction in food and energy security, industrial cooperation, transport and logistics connectivity, the environment, innovations and digital transformation. An emphasis will also be placed on further increasing the efficiency of measures to counteract the illegitimate Western sanctions, and on expanding the use of national currencies in settlements. At the same time, our guiding principle will be the interconnected nature of the economies of the CIS and EAEU member states and the importance of synchronising decisions at the national and Eurasian levels to ensure the stability of these regional integration associations in the new reality.
- In the law enforcement and military sectors,
- Another priority will be the development of the Commonwealth’s ties with friendly states and international organisations. At the Bishkek summit in October 2023, the necessary legal framework was created to build this work at a new level; a decision was made to establish the categories of observer and partner countries within the Commonwealth. We will continue our efforts to align integration processes in the CIS space, in particular with regard to deepening its contacts with the EAEU in the economic sphere and with the CSTO and SCO in security.
In the next few days, the Concept will be published on official internet sites. The presentation of the priorities of
I would like to point out that the Foreign Ministry also has a Telegram channel devoted to our country’s chairmanship of the Commonwealth, called Korotko ob SNG (CIS at a Glance). We plan to publish relevant information there about the main events within the organisation.
Question: Yesterday our website published an article by Mr Shevchenko, PhD in History, and Ms Popova, PhD in Philology, on how Ukrainian nationalism and Nazism became dominant factors in Ukrainian politics. At the beginning of January, Stepan Bandera’s birthday will be celebrated with pomp in
How did it happen that
Maria Zakharova: This process began not just a year or five years ago. We have been observing this for decades. You have raised a very pressing issue. As you know, on December
Ukrainian Nazism is largely a man-made phenomenon. Initially, it was created by the authorities of
We are the only ones talking about this to the whole world. Even the phrase “mass destruction” in relation to people sounds blasphemous. Those who participated in this have been glorified in today’s
After the collapse of the
In the context of the 10th anniversary of Euromaidan, it would be good to recall that specially trained groups of Ukrainian neo-Nazis were the street army of the coup organised by the Western countries in February 2014. This is the driving force. And the regimes that came to power after this adopted the cult of the OUN-UPA heroes and consolidated it at the national level. I say regimes, because there were a number of governments, which we now call the
For many years now, we have been drawing the world community’s attention to this evil growing not only in
It is necessary to coordinate the efforts of all healthy anti-fascist and anti-Nazi forces in order for the truth to reach wide public circles. A significant role in this belongs to scientists, historians, and specialists in this field. A proposal was put forward at the conference I have mentioned to create international scientific structures to study Nazism, including its modern forms. It deserves attention and full support at the level of the state, civil society and each individual citizen of their country.
We will continue to do everything in our power to convince the international community of the need to jointly fight this evil.
Question:
Maria Zakharova: I think that it is absurd and unrealistic. This sponsorship of a Russophobic political project will backfire on the people of
Question: Does
Maria Zakharova: Russia-Armenia relations within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) are pragmatic and based on mutual benefit. We see the rapid growth of
We welcome our partners’ resolve to continue working effectively to strengthen and boost Eurasian economic integration.
Question: It has been reported that
Maria Zakharova: The People’s Republic of
Unlike the neocolonial Western practices, China-Africa cooperation is voluntary, equal and based on mutual respect and mutual benefit. Just like
It is the result that matters. Look at the result of the groups and PMCs that have been operating in
I have not heard this said about Russian instructors or the efforts of our Chinese partners. We have only heard words of gratitude to
The current situation evolved because
Question: An Albanian website has published a document titled the Draft Charter of the Community of Serb Municipalities of Kosovo. EU and US representatives submitted it to
Maria Zakharova: We have read this publication. If the text is authentic, then the situation with Western mediation efforts for resolving the Kosovo issue is deplorable. The document shows that the
This draft document has little resemblance to the
There are plans to integrate the Community of Serb Municipalities in the Kosovo power system, subjecting it to the flawed local legislation and therefore depriving it of significant executive powers. The Pristina ruling elite will be able to block decisions of the community, rendering it non-functional and utterly meaningless. Moreover, its property rights and financial independence have been greatly restricted, and the use of official emblems and symbols is only permitted in conjunction with the quasi-state Kosovo insignia.
On May 2, 2023, under EU-brokered agreements, a Kosovo Serb contact group submitted the draft charter of the Community of Serb Municipalities of Kosovo, which provides reliable guarantees for protecting the Serbian diaspora. However, Pristina immediately rejected the document. In response, officials in
Question: I would like to wish you a Happy New Year and a wonderful holiday season.
Maria Zakharova: Thank you very much. Same to you.
Question:
Maria Zakharova: I believe that it is the West, not
If
If the West does not respect
It is not
Look at where the West started with present-day
The West went on to frame what it wanted from
The problem here is that this is not only about treating
Do you see that? They promised everything: economic and financial aid, investment and special treatment, etc. But no, they have not delivered on any of these promises. All they do is escalate their illegal demands.
What if
I understand that there are many young people in present-day
Question: While the world community is calling for a truce and taking steps to resolve the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, where, according to
Maria Zakharova: I believe that those who sincerely care about people in the region, the citizens of
We regret to note that the flywheel of the armed escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not losing steam, innocent civilians are dying, and civilian infrastructure is being destroyed.
Our country has constantly advocated an immediate and general ceasefire. On December 12, 2023, we voted in favour of the relevant UN General Assembly resolution. It was not possible to include the same wording in UN Security Council resolutions 2712 and 2720 because of the
I can repeat that we condemn any terrorist attacks. This is unacceptable to us. This is our committed, hard-won position. The current history of our country has further strengthened our point of view. At the same time, we consider it unacceptable to respond to such acts with the use of collective punishment against civilians and the indiscriminate use of force in violation of international humanitarian law.
Question: The Israeli media announced that the
Maria Zakharova: You know how the
While building the geography of arms exports and strengthening its military presence, the
The current situation again demonstrates the deep militarisation of the foreign policy of the
Question: I would like to wish all the best to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the journalists present and the entire country. Happy New Year to everyone!
Maria Zakharova: Thank you and happy New Year!
Question: Novatek's Chinese partners have suspended their participation in the Arctic LNG 2 project. How would you comment on this?
Maria Zakharova: Energy cooperation is one of the most important components of Russia-China relations, our comprehensive partnership and strategic cooperation. In recent years, Russia and China have jointly implemented a number of major projects, including the production of liquefied natural gas at Yamal LNG and Arctic LNG 2 with our Chinese partners.
We note that a number of Western countries have been imposing absolutely illegitimate unilateral restrictions to prevent the energy partnership between Russia and China from developing and growing stronger, and to achieve unfair advantages by non-market methods.
We consider such actions to be categorically unacceptable, especially with regard to such major international civilian projects as Arctic LNG 2, as they affect the energy balances of many countries. We are confident that Russian-Chinese strategic cooperation in the energy sector will continue to grow progressively and will gradually strengthen.
The situation with Arctic LNG 2 once again confirms Washington’s destructive role in global energy security, which the United States pays lip service to respecting, but in reality the country is pursuing its own selfish interests, trying to displace business competitors and destroy global energy security.
Such steps further complicate supply chains and push energy prices up for the end consumer.
Question: Finland’s NATO membership gives the North Atlantic Alliance control over both sides of the Gulf of Finland and poses a threat to the Russian bases in Severomorsk. How do you think this could affect the prospects for resuming the strategic stability dialogue with the United States? Elizabeth Rood, the chargée d'affaires of the US mission to Russia, announced a month ago Washington was ready for dialogue.
Maria Zakharova: President of Russia Vladimir Putin recently commented on every part of your question.
I will remind you that the President clearly stated his intention to take all necessary countermeasures to neutralise the threats posed to our country by the Finnish authorities’ thoughtless move to join the NATO bloc, which is hostile to Russia. I would also add to this that Helsinki's actions allegedly aimed at strengthening Finland’s security have led to the opposite. There should be no doubt that all the NATO military facilities, forces and resources appearing near our borders, including in former neutral countries, will be added to the list of legitimate targets in case of an armed conflict.
With regard to the dialogue aimed at finding solutions to international security problems, President Putin emphasised: we are not pushing anyone away. If the West is ready to negotiate on an acceptable and realistic platform, it should demonstrate this in practice. So far, we have seen the opposite: the United States and its satellites have not shown any intent to join an equal conversation based on the reality of multipolarity, the principle of indivisibility of security and on respect for Russia’s fundamental interests. Obviously, such a dialogue would require the resolution of critical disagreements, the central one being NATO’s malign expansion into the post-Soviet space.
However, Washington, which dominates NATO, continues to ignore this fundamental problem while sending signals that it wants to discuss nuclear arms control specifically, isolating this subject from the general military and political situation. If the US seriously expects us to help it reduce the nuclear risks that Washington faces due to its stated attempt to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia, it is probably cause for US representatives to consult qualified physicians specialising in such cases.
Question: I also add my congratulations. European diplomacy chief Josep Borrell said that “Russia has never been able to become a nation” and he has called for the mobilisation of all resources because he believes that Russia poses a threat to the entire Europe. It is similar to Adolf Hitler’s rhetoric before the Second World War. How do you assess these statements?
Maria Zakharova: It is a statement by an uneducated person who obviously adheres to elements of racist and nationalist ideology. Or maybe he has some medical issues. I cannot rule that out. I cannot say that this information is accurate. We can only read other horrific statements by Josep Borrell and see some vague wording, expressing some thoughts that in fact smell of nationalism and racism.
He already earned notoriety all over the world with his racist rhetoric when he compared the European Union with a garden and the rest of the world with a jungle.
His current statements about our country, which he calls a great power, are nothing but blatant jealousy. We see that the European Union has tried to become a geopolitical actor in the multipolar world. It has achieved much, such as its own currency and cooperation within the union. But, unfortunately, the loss of its sovereignty under US pressure made it impossible for the EU to join the group of global players. They were not on the threshold (I would say, they were one of the truly powerful players), but they have lost it all. The reason is obvious: the EU’s subordinate role in US and NATO policy.
As for labelling us a dangerous neighbour, the Western countries have long and actively used the myth about an external threat to justify the expansion of NATO in their confrontational line towards our country. It was the US and its European allies who consistently destroyed the system of international security over the years. Let me remind you that it was planned, developed and implemented as a complex of treaties and institutions. They did not support any of our substantial initiatives. They refused to ratify the adapted Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE), scrapped the European Security Treaty (2008), refused to discuss the draft Agreement on Basic Principles Governing Relations between the Russia-NATO Council Member States in the Security Sphere (2009), and wriggled out of providing guarantees that NATO’s missile defence system was not directed against Russia’s nuclear deterrence forces. Under vain pretexts, the Americans withdrew from the bilateral Treaty on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles, repeatedly violated the Treaty on Open Skies, and, with their confrontational actions, they made it impossible to renew the New Start Treaty between Russia and the US.
The United States and NATO rejected key elements of our proposals on granting Russia long-term, legally binding security guarantees. We suggested these joint measures in December 2021. The adoption of these measures and documents would have made it possible to take the Euro-Atlantic situation away from a dangerous line and strengthen not only Russia’s security but also the security of all NATO member states.
Now the myth of “a threat from the East” is being fuelled in some EU countries to divert public attention on the eve of the elections in the European Parliament in 2024. They want to sidetrack public attention from urgent problems, like a stagnate economy (and its destructive consequences in many EU states), declining incomes, record inflation, growing domestic political instability, and terrible internal disunity and manifestations of Nazism and racism at home.
They never say that the current crisis in Europe is the result of a shortsighted policy by the current EU leaders that are obsessed with unilateral sanctions against our country. These EU leaders have fallen victim to pressure from Washington that has dirtied its hands by supporting the Nazi Kiev regime.
The biggest threat to Europe is not from Russia, as Josep Borrell tries to present it but from Brussels with its Euro bureaucrats and people like Mr Borrell and Ursula von der Leyen.
Question: The Japanese Government allowed the transfer of missiles for Patriot anti-missile systems under the endorsed simplified rules for defence equipment exports. The Japanese Foreign Ministry issued a statement to this effect. This is the first case where the export of lethal weaponry was allowed after the Japanese cabinet adopted three principles for defence equipment transfers in 2014. Previously, Tokyo could only supply other countries with its own non-lethal weapons and technology and individual arms components made under foreign license. Can you comment on this decision please?
Maria Zakharova: This decision was adopted on December 22. We have seen it. It has liberalised exports of military products and allowed, as a first practical step, the sale of missiles to the US for the Patriot anti-aircraft missile systems.
This shows that the Fumio Kishida administration has again confirmed its course towards consistent dismantling of the postwar constitution’s pacifist provisions. Coupled with Japan’s accelerated remilitarisation, this will have tangible negative consequences for global and regional security.
Obviously, the adopted decision primarily serves the interests of Tokyo’s ally, the US. In this case, Japan is not only forgoing its principles but also largely loses control over its arms that from now on Washington can use the way it wants. We cannot rule out that such a proven scheme will be used to transfer Patriot ammunition that will eventually land in Ukraine.
We would like to warn that if Japanese missiles end up in the hands of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Russian Federation will consider such an act as unequivocally hostile. It would have the most adverse consequences for Japan in bilateral relations.
Military supplies to the Kiev regime – both directly and by proxy – will only prolong its agony, increase the number of innocent victims and allow it to commit more atrocities. The Japanese authorities would fully share responsibility for this in this case.
Unfortunately, Tokyo is again conniving with Nazism, this time in Ukraine, as it did in the 1930s and 1940s. This nearsighted policy ended in a national disaster for the Japanese people. The tragic consequences are still in the memory of people in the European and Asian countries.
Question: The election campaign kicked off, and the Western media launched their smear campaign. Is there a plan to counter it, or will it be part of our response?
Maria Zakharova: The West has launched the anti-Russian disinformation campaign long before the elections scheduled for 2024.
I am not even sure when it started. It has always been on. Its degree and scale may have varied, though. More angles are being added to it.
You may have noticed that the Russian Central Election Commission is taking some countermeasures. A number of Russian politicians and public figures are offering revealing assessments. The Foreign Ministry has set up a Commission for Elections Abroad which, among other things, helps our foreign missions conduct awareness campaigns among our compatriots and foreign audiences. We will promote and scale up these efforts on various platforms run by the ministry, and the ministry’s senior officials will address these matters accordingly in their remarks. This is already being done as part of planned activities. We reject and debunk falsehoods and promote true information, but reality is there to make its own adjustments. Perhaps, we will have to resort to crisis response. Not everything can be foreseen. But we are ready for it. We have been living in such conditions for a long time now. We have a set of techniques which we can use to protect ourselves and ensure our own safety.
Question: We often hear official sources say that the more long-range weapons the United States and NATO supply, the further we will push back our safe territory borders. How far can we go?
Maria Zakharova: I am not sure where these quotes come from.
I will point back to the statements made by President Putin. The special military operation’s goals have been clearly outlined by the Russian leadership since the day it began. This is what really matters.
Related issues, including the question you asked, are being resolved and will be resolved as part of the efforts to demilitarise and denazify the territories that are still controlled by the Kiev Nazi-Banderite regime. These matters of tactics and strategy are handled by the Defence Ministry and the relevant security forces.
Question: Defence Minister Shoigu made this statement.
Maria Zakharova: That is why I said that these are matters of tactics and strategy that our country's military and security forces are working on.
Question: What role did the Belovezh Accords play in the breakup of the Soviet Union? Were they the real reason for the liquidation of the Soviet Union? If not, what documents codified the collapse of the Soviet Union?
Maria Zakharova: I will say right away that this matter is not within the terms of reference of the Foreign Ministry. This question is best addressed to historians, the experts who deal with matters at the nexus of history and law.
I think I can run it by our lawyers who will come up with a list of books you can read to learn more about this.
Question: What do you think about the ideas advanced by some Ukrainian figures to join hands with Russia and file a collective action to sue the West for damages? Is this scenario possible? Is a scenario where Ukraine and Russia stand up together to defend our common territory from the aggression coming from the West, as it happened many times in our history, realistic?
Maria Zakharova: The issue of paying compensation for damage will certainly be raised, but later. We are now dealing with practical goals and objectives articulated by our country’s leadership. It is too early to discuss the specific parameters and mechanisms that you are talking about.
You and I have repeatedly discussed during the briefings the historical responsibility of the West for everything that is happening in Ukraine.
It is important to finish what has been stated, argued and explained with facts in hand.
Question: With 2023 drawing to a close, what is your New Year wish for Armenia and the Armenian people?
Maria Zakharova: I believe that it should be the leadership of a country to offer wishes and congratulations to the nation. Or, as a symbolic act, it is the prerogative of another country’s top leaders.
I can say off the record that the outgoing year was not easy for many countries and peoples around the world. And it was not an easy one for Armenia and the friendly Armenian people. We see outside forces trying to get Yerevan caught up in even more dangerous geopolitical games. The West does not care about the future of the Armenian people. It uses their sentiments, historical memory, pain and suffering exclusively to promote their own interests.
Taking into account the allied nature of relations, we are ready to promote in every possible way the peace, stability and prosperity of Armenia. For us, it is a really vital matter for a number of reasons: it is our history, the shared heritage of peoples and cultures, regional stability, common challenges and issues that can be solved easier if dealt with jointly.
The Armenian economy benefits from trade and economic ties with Russia and other EAEU member countries and has grown impressively. For our part, we are committed to the further implementation of all planned projects in the key areas of cooperation.
We see good prospects for normalising relations between Yerevan and Baku on the basis of trilateral agreements signed by the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2020-2022 (1,2,3, and 4). There are viable prerequisites for establishing relations between Armenia and Türkiye.
We have a stake in reducing the potential for conflict in the South Caucasus and unlocking the region's vast potential, which could be facilitated, among other things, by expanding cooperation within the framework of the 3+3 Consultative Regional Platform. This is our baseline position.
I wholeheartedly wish the people of Armenia peace and prosperity in the New Year and, if possible, fewer problems to deal with than in the outgoing year.
Question: Summing up the results of the outgoing year, what significant events could you highlight? What has been achieved during the current year? What are the priority plans for 2024?
Maria Zakharova: I already answered a similar question from Radio Saga from Iceland at the previous briefing.
I can only repeat what I said then, because it is hardly possible to come up with something significant that I forgot to mention last week. Of course, it is the adoption of a revised version of Russia's Foreign Policy Concept. This is a groundbreaking document for us. The expansion of BRICS, the Russia-Africa summit, actual counteraction by our country (with the demonstration of the results) of the isolation efforts announced by the West, overcoming sanctions through the internal structural reorganisation of the economy, and numerous concrete results in the realm of multipolarity.
Even from today's briefing it is clear that we are participating in a large number of bilateral and multilateral integration projects in various parts of the world, and do so efficiently, effectively, with concrete results to show for the country and the people.
Let me remind you once again that the outcomes of the foreign policy year will be summed up by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Much will be said tomorrow during the Minister's interview with Dmitry Kiselev on the Rossiya 24 TV channel.
A comprehensive look on the outgoing year will be provided during Minister Lavrov's big news conference in January 2024. I encourage all of you to attend.
