Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, May 15, 2025
- Worldwide celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War
- Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s participation in a Diplomatic Club meeting
- The Ukraine crisis
- Moldova update
- The 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Danish island of Bornholm by the Soviet troops
- New manifestations of neo-Nazism in Latvia
- On Russian-Chinese Declaration in Support of International Law
- Collective Security Treaty anniversary
- Situation on the Indo-Pakistani border
- Escalation of the situation in Tripoli
- US President’s Executive Order to improve the security of biological research
- Anglo-Saxons’ war crimes in Afghanistan
- Payment of Russian pensions to compatriots in European countries
- 70th anniversary of the Warsaw Treaty Organisation
- CIS International Legal Forum
- The Fifth Kostomarov Forum
- 42nd Plenary Week of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism
- Foreign bloggers’ tour of Great Patriotic War memorial sites
- Znaniye.Award project
- Provision of humanitarian assistance to the Gaza Sector
- Timing for the commencement of negotiations in Istanbul
- France’s anti-Russian actions
- Ultimatums from the “coalition of the willing”
- American-Chinese relations
- Mediation efforts regarding the Istanbul negotiation process
- Settlement of customs matters between the United States and China
- Potential presence of Western leaders at Russian-Ukrainian talks
- Russian-Azerbaijani relations
- Certain remarks by Vladimir Zelensky
- Prospects for Russian-Polish relations
- Switzerland’s neutrality
- Militarisation in Russia
- Türkiye’s provision of a negotiating platform
- Possibility of a meeting between the President of Russia and Vladimir Zelensky
- Self-dissolution of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party
- Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s upcoming visit to Armenia
- Russia’s stance in negotiations on Ukraine
- Certain remarks by Vladimir Zelensky
- Militarisation of Europe
Worldwide celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War
I will begin this briefing with the most important topic of the past weeks, when we prepared for our main holiday, May 9. The year of the 80th anniversary is far from over, and there will be many more news connected with this subject, just like in any other year and day that is filled with historical memories. I would like to speak about the significant contribution, which our diplomats and offices abroad have made to these celebrations jointly with our compatriots, and the high level of the celebrations of the Great Victory held abroad, against all the odds.
May 9 is a day that unites us. We celebrated the 80th anniversary of Victory jointly with our compatriots, likeminded people and Russia’s friends across the world. Tens of thousands of people attended numerous celebration events throughout the world.
Information about the preparations and the holding of these events was available round the clock on the digital resources of the Foreign Ministry and its offices abroad. Since the beginning of May, within 10 days, we have published over 5,500 posts and items about the Great Victory. The memory marathon did not stop for a second, with people in all populated continents throughout the world proudly raising the Banner of Victory to remind the world about the heroism of the Soviet people who defeated an absolute evil – Nazism, protected humanity and upheld the right of everyone to remain human.
We not only provided information about the number and format of the events but, more importantly, shared our joy and impressions with our audiences. The accounts of the Foreign Ministry and our embassies organised the live streaming of the Victory Parade in Red Square, which for the first time included live streaming with simultaneous interpretation in 12 languages. We are grateful to our colleagues from the Ruptly video agency for their assistance.
The Immortal Regiment project was held in over 120m countries, more than ever before. What did they tell us about isolating Russia? Tens of thousands of our compatriots, who commemorated the heroes of the Great Patriotic War together with our diplomats, have been subjected to all manner of harassment over the past few years, including pressure, threats and blackmail. But they did that nevertheless. They have not forgotten the heroism of the generation of victors. Events commemorating Soviet soldiers and their heroism in the Great Patriotic War were held in over 80 countries across the world. The largest of them were the Garden of Memory, the Windows of Victory, the St George’s Ribbon, the Flame of Memory, and the Candle of Memory.
The Foreign Ministry held a Victory Songs project on its accounts, identified with a small circle representing vinyl disks with our favourite songs about the Great Patriotic War. We are delighted that this project has become widely popular, with people sharing information about these songs and bringing joy to their relatives, loved ones and friends. Nearly 2.5 million Telegram users have taken part in that project. This is amazing. Thank you for caring.
Russian diplomats and compatriots traditionally paid considerable attention to events held at military monuments. Our colleagues organised ceremonies to lay wreaths and flowers at war memorials in over 70 countries, and helped clean up the graves of Soviet servicemen and prisoners of war, sometimes working under challenging and even combat-like conditions amid the ongoing war on Red Army monuments and graves in Western Europe. The Russian consulate general in Bonn alone has taken part in 130 memory actions. Large crowds carrying the banners of the Great Patriotic War came to these monuments in Tiergarten and Treptower parks and other major sites. On May 10−11, a large delegation of diplomats from all Russian offices in Austria and their families visited the Mauthausen memorial complex on the site of a Nazi concentration camp. There are many more examples, which I will not speak about today because it would take too long.
But I will speak about a different group of examples. Regrettably, flower-laying ceremonies were held in some countries, for example, Poland and Germany, amid provocations staged by the supporters of Nazi collaborators and the neo-Nazi Kiev regime, to which local law enforcers turned a blind eye. Nevertheless, the commemorative events took place as planned. Funeral services for the fallen Red Army servicemen have been held in many countries.
I would like to convey special thanks on behalf of the Foreign Ministry to the Turetsky Choir Art Group, which has been touring the world with Victory Songs for the past 10 years. The group has been to many countries around the world, and compatriots and anti-fascists always come to their concerts held in main squares, in concert halls and at Russian offices abroad, defying bans and other obstacles. The group’s director, Mikhail Turetsky, is doing this at the behest of his father, a war veteran, who urged him to use his talent and the power of art to bring historical memory into the 21st century. We proudly watched the broadcast from the UN General Assembly where veterans and their descendants sang Victory songs together with the Turetsky Choir.
A special section will be created on the Foreign Ministry’s site dedicated not only to the 80th Victory Day celebrations but to the hundreds of events that have been held, are being held and will be held this year. Every Russian permanent mission, embassy and consulate general, the Rossotrudnichestvo offices, and every diplomat who has wholeheartedly contributed to these events will be mentioned. Everyone will get their due. We will take every effort to do this because this is worth remembering.
Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s participation in a Diplomatic Club meeting
Today, on May 15, just a few hours from now, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the inaugural meeting of the Diplomatic Club, which is resuming its activities in a renewed format. The Club will host thematic events under the auspices of the Diplomatic Academy of the Russian Foreign Ministry, bringing together members of the diplomatic corps, as well as representatives of Russian and international political, academic and business circles.
The event will include a speech by the Minister, his discussions with the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Moscow and a roundtable discussion entitled Culture Without Borders: The Role and Development of Cultural Diplomacy. The guests will also be invited to view an exhibition titled War and Peace in Architecture: Destruction and Restoration, dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
The subject of the Great Patriotic War and World War II will be addressed more than once in today’s briefing. Many of the current issues on the international agenda have their roots in unresolved or resurgent problems stemming from that period or are a continuation of them in new forms.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin proposed on May 11 this year the resumption of direct negotiations, which had been suspended by the Kiev regime at the behest of then British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the spring of 2022. President Putin further suggested that these talks should commence without delay or preconditions in Istanbul on May 15.
As the Russian President emphasised, the objective of these negotiations is to “eliminate the root causes of the conflict and to achieve a long-term lasting peace for a historical perspective.” As has been repeatedly affirmed, the Russian side is committed to serious negotiations. Our delegation has arrived in Istanbul and stands ready to engage.
Now, with respect to the situation in Ukraine – specifically the actions of the Kiev regime – one need only examine the following to understand their true conduct, despite their rhetoric about ceasefires. The neo-Nazi regime of Vladimir Zelensky made every effort to prevent the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War on Ukrainian soil. This war, after all, was fought by the ancestors of today’s Ukrainian citizens as well. It was their Victory too – one which they have now desecrated. Every possible measure was taken to undermine the solemnity of this existential milestone for Ukraine, including attempts to disrupt celebrations abroad, primarily in Russia. Yet these efforts proved futile. The modern-day Banderites failed to intimidate the people or compel them to forget the luminous memory of those who saved the world from the brown plague and granted them life itself. On May 9, many Ukrainian citizens visited memorials to Soviet soldiers despite prohibitions, blackmail, and threats – despite the fact that many of these monuments in modern Ukraine have been destroyed or defaced beyond recognition. They came to lay flowers and to honour the true heroes and liberators.
Provocations by Ukrainian neo-Nazis were inevitable. In Kiev’s Park of Eternal Glory, police detained pensioner Galina Savchenko for refusing to remove her cap bearing a red star. In Odessa, on the night of May 9, unidentified individuals removed the plaque from the monument to Marshal Rodion Malinovsky, under whose command the forces of the 3rd Ukrainian Front liberated the city in April 1944. On May 10, under cover of darkness, a group of young vandals in Odessa gathered and destroyed all flowers laid by residents at the Monument to the Unknown Sailor.
Despite these machinations, the Zelensky junta proved incapable of breaking the people’s will or fulfilling the threats they had issued. They could not suppress the public’s gratitude toward their heroic fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers for their military and labour feats. Popular memory proved stronger. It cannot be erased. Unlike the neo-Nazi clique, it will endure forever.
Let us now examine the Kiev regime’s actual adherence to the ceasefires it so frequently invokes. These ceasefires have been cynically disregarded. For instance, the 72-hour truce declared by President of Russia Vladimir Putin to mark the 80th anniversary of the Victory over Nazism (from 12 AM on May 8 to 12 AM on May 11 this year) was met with 14,043 violations of the ceasefire regime, according to the Russian Ministry of Defence. These included over 4,011 artillery, tank, and mortar strikes; 62 multiple-launch rocket system attacks; and 9,918 drone strikes and munitions drops. Five attempts to breach Russia’s state border in the Belgorod and Kursk regions were recorded, alongside 37 attacks by UAF. During these three sacred days, six Russian civilians were killed by Ukrainian Nazi aggressors, with no fewer than 17 wounded. This is the reality – not the illusion of a ceasefire as performed by the Kiev regime.
Regrettably, both before and after the holiday, Ukrainian militants continued their terror against residents of Russia’s border regions. From May 6 to 13, shelling, drone attacks, and landmines in the Kursk Region claimed four civilian lives, including two on May 9. Among the victims was volunteer Alexander Kelendzheridze, who had previously rescued approximately 400 residents of the Kursk Region and was killed by an anti-personnel mine on May 10. Ten civilians were injured, including a five-year-old girl.
Furthermore, on May 7, Ukrainian forces conducted a drone strike on the Church of Saint Demetrius of Thessalonica in the Khomutovsky District, damaging its windows and roof. On May 10, a drone attack in the village of Kommunar struck a monument to Soviet pilots of the 88th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment. On May 11, a Ukrainian HIMARS rocket strike on Rylsk (Kursk Region) destroyed a hotel and two private homes, killing one civilian and leaving two others severely wounded. These strikes were deliberately targeted at civilian infrastructure.
In the Belgorod Region, the Ukrainian Nazis targeted civilian facilities and vehicles; at least ten civilians were wounded. In particular, on the morning of May 9, the enemy deliberately attacked the Belgorod Region government building with a drone, wounding Deputy Governor Alexander Lorents and a National Guard officer.
Two civilians were killed by the Banderites’ artillery fire attack in the DPR; at least nine, including three teenagers, were wounded. Three people were injured exactly on Victory Day, including a young boy born in 2009, hit by fragments of a long-range missile shot down by air defence forces in the village of Krinichnaya. On May 12, a teenager born in 2011 was wounded by an explosive munition dropped from an UAV in the Kalininsky District of Gorlovka.
On May 13, the Ukrainian armed forces attacked an asphalt-concrete plant in Lugansk with drones, targeting the rescue team that arrived to extinguish the fire with a second precision strike afterwards. Two Emergencies Ministry firefighters were killed, and 15 people were injured.
In the Kherson Region, the Ukrainian Nazis killed seven civilians and wounded at least four. On May 7, a Ukrainian UAV attacked an ambulance on the grounds of the Central District Hospital in Alyoshki, injuring a paramedic. A similar attack on an ambulance was carried out on Victory Day in the village of Novaya Zburyevka. Fortunately, there were no casualties. On May 9, eight communities were shelled in the Kherson Region. Furthermore, in the early hours of May 6, the Kiev regime used suicide drones to damage a Great Patriotic War memorial honouring liberator heroes of in the village of Brilyovka. On the eve of Victory Day, the FSB of Russia detained three Ukrainians in Kakhovka; the group was planning to detonate a bomb near the Tank T-34 monument on orders of the Security Service of Ukraine.
Ukraine continued its despicable cynical attacks on residential areas of the Bryansk Region. One woman has been killed and at least four civilians have been wounded by the AFU drone strikes on houses and cars in the region since May 6. In the early hours of May 10, the Ukrainian Nazis dropped a munition from a drone on a school in the village of Sopychi, damaging the building. On the school! They were effectively targeting children! Has this ever stopped them? No. This is their ideology; this is their rotten philosophy.
Now, what are their Western handlers, their patrons and sponsors doing? Everyone saw the club’s get-together in Kiev on May 10. The gathering was attended by the leaders of the European party of war – French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and British and Polish PMs, Keir Starmer and Donald Tusk. The group posed as the “backbone” of the “coalition of the willing.” Only, they must have forgotten to add “willing to fight” to that name. It’s a “coalition of those who want war.” They only pay lip service to “boundless” solidarity with Zelensky’s regime, while in reality, they are looking at how best to implement their crisis- escalation plans, including a military intervention in Ukraine. They are not even hiding it.
The main outcome of this gathering was effectively an ultimatum for Russia: to unconditionally join a ceasefire, spontaneously declared by the Kiev regime and its European handlers, starting May 12. They apparently forgot that the ceasefire Russia announced to honour the 80th anniversary of the Victory Day had not yet expired at the time the idea occurred to them. Anyway, they threatened Russia with more and tougher sanctions in case their demand is refused. They also seem to forget that Russia deems the language of ultimatums unacceptable. We remember another ultimatum given to us 80 years ago. We have just broadly celebrated the Victory over those who tried to talk to us from a position of strength.
As for punishment, we hail and commend our law enforcement agencies, who are doing this painstaking work on a daily basis, including daily risking their lives. Russian courts continue to sentence Ukrainian neo-Nazis and mercenaries for their war crimes and other deeds.
Ukrainian servicemen Lev Kyrov, Ruslan Poltoratsky, and Andrey Vlasenko, who were previously detained by Russian military forces and accused of obstructing the evacuation of civilians from settlements in the Kursk Region under threat of force, have been sentenced to 17 years in prison. Additionally, Lev Kyrov and Andrey Vlasenko were found to have planted explosives on local roads.
Another Ukrainian terrorist, Anton Tabalyuk, who was transferred to the Russian Investigative Committee by Russian forces and accused of intimidating residents in the Kursk Region and participating in the unauthorised blockade of the city of Sudzha, received a 16-year prison sentence.
Investigative actions have been completed in the case of Lithuanian citizen Valdas Bartkevichius. He is accused of illegally entering the Kursk Region and, on November 11, 2024, desecrating a military burial site and monument to liberator soldiers in the village of Kazachya Loknya, along with two unidentified Lithuanian accomplices. Truly evil people. Authorities also allege that in May and November 2024, Bartkevichius purchased five vehicles and transferred them to Lithuanian members of the so-called International Legion, as well as to units of the 95th Separate Air Assault Brigade and the 225th Separate Assault Battalion of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which have been involved in terrorist activities in the Kursk Region. A notable element of the case includes a public video statement in which Bartkevichius has approved the terrorist attack at Moscow’s Crocus City Hall. The criminal case encompassing all charges has been submitted to the court, and Bartkevichius has been placed on an international wanted list.
American citizen and mercenary Jake Logan Taylor, Azerbaijani citizen Sakhib Sabir oglu Rzayev, and Colombian citizen Lajos Osorio Jose Bernardo have each been sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison.
Former Ukrainian Ambassador to Kazakhstan, Pyotr Vrublevsky, who had previously been placed on the international wanted list by the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, was sentenced in absentia to six years in prison on charges of inciting hatred against Russians. The case stems from remarks he made during an interview with a Kazakh blogger in August 2022, in which he expressed abnormal and illegal extremist thoughts and ideas. Just think about it. This is a diplomat of the Kiev regime: “We are trying to kill as many as possible. The more Russians we kill, the fewer our children will have to kill.” This is a terrible quote.
A real spectacle was staged in Lvov by those who truly represent a “coalition of those who want war.” Vladimir Zelensky and his European patrons made unsuccessful attempts to disrupt – and when that failed, to at least distract from – the events of May 9, the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, or, as they call it, the “agenda.” What can be said? They certainly went to great lengths. What did they do? On May 9 of this year, they held a despicable gathering in Lvov of EU foreign ministers, led by the High (though some might say “Low”) Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas. It was anticipated that those present would publicly announce the creation of a special tribunal on Russian aggression against Ukraine. However, they did not go as far as to make such a declaration, limiting themselves to verbal expressions of support for the initiative, and instead focused on their usual agenda – discussing further military assistance to the Kiev regime. In particular, Kaja Kallas confirmed the allocation of €1 billion to support Ukraine’s military-industrial complex – a move coming at the expense of EU citizens, who were not consulted. These funds are intended for the production of drones and missiles. Additionally, Brussels plans to allocate another €900 million from the revenues of frozen – or, effectively stolen – Russian assets for Ukraine’s military needs. France is reportedly planning to provide technical servicing for the Caesar howitzers previously supplied to Ukraine through the same illegal means. Germany is preparing to send Ukraine 125 US-made long-range ATACMS missiles and 100 PAC-3 interceptor missiles for the Patriot air defence systems.
The militarisation of Ukraine, or of what is left of it, was the main topic during the EU-Ukraine Defence Forum in Brussels on May 12. Participants agreed to boost cooperation on the joint production of weapons. God, how could they have lived if the Minsk agreements had been fulfilled! If only those hundreds of billions of euros had been spent on the development of the Ukrainian regions reintegrated under the Minsk agreements. Plants and factories would have been under construction; latest vehicles would have been in manufacturing; training would have been taking place at a new level. But the collective West had a different job. It was not to develop Ukraine but to turn it into a silent tool for, as they phrased it, “Russia’s strategic defeat.”
By the way, the European Union has recently become the largest non-commercial foreign investor. But where? Ukraine’s development? No, its defence industry. Some will say it means the defence industry will develop. But this industry’s purpose is to murder the citizens of Ukraine. All this compellingly affirms that the European Union’s ambition is not just to continue the hostilities but to escalate them. Brussels does not mind spending any money on that, including by reducing social and other expenses. According to the data publicised by the EU, the total amount of funding the Zelensky regime has received from the EU since February 2022 stands at 147 billion euros, including 50.3 billion euros spent on the military aid for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Ukraine’s new bills are the cherry on top. What also indicates Ukraine’s top level being interested in continuing the bloodshed is, in particular, the plans, mentioned by Irina Vereshchuk, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, to submit bills on systematic wartime training of the public in Ukraine, including territorial defence and civic resistance, for consideration by the Verkhovna Rada in May. This initiative essentially means general mobilisation in disguise. This is exactly what it means. The aim is to ensure the war continues “until the last Ukrainian.” With bills like that, nobody in Kiev is even thinking about peace.
This is yet another confirmation of the relevance of the special military operation.
The celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Victory of the multi-ethnic Soviet people in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945 exposed the ideological gap between today’s Moldovan authorities and the deeply patriotic people in that country. The day before May 9, a date most Moldovans hold sacred, officials in Chisinau continued, in their typical cynical and irresponsible manner, to take steps to rewrite history. Just on the fly. Look at what they are doing.
On April 29, another resting place of “Romanian heroes” was unveiled with military honours in the village of Opaci, Causeni District. Who were they? Seventeenth-century writers and poets, maybe? Or outstanding early 19th-century artists? Who were those Romanian heroes? They are those who fought in Ion Antonescu’s army and died in the summer of 1941, when Romanian-German fascist forces invaded the Soviet Union.
Late at night on May 8, unknown vandals desecrated a monument to soldiers of the 161st Rifle Regiment of the 95th Moldavian Rifle Division near the village of Rusca, Hincesti District. As before, no reaction from the official authorities followed.
The Moldovan authorities are vigorously interfering in education to continue their cynical ideological manipulations, targeting the younger generation.
According to media reports, the Moldovan Ministry of Education and Research banned teaching staff from participating in the Immortal Regiment march under the threat of refusing to recertify them or even firing them. What is Immortal Regiment? It is a march where people carry portraits of their ancestors, their immediate family members who fought in the Great Patriotic War, not some other countries’ symbols. These portraits are their symbols, their pride and memory. This is what Immortal Regiment is about. It has been forbidden by the Kiev regime, and now also by the regime in Chisinau.
On May 5, the Moldovan Ministry of Education issued an order requiring all schools in the country to show Siberia in the Bones, a pseudo-documentary film profusely permeated with Russophobic fabrications, on May 8 to all pupils of grades 5-12. Of course, they would not play the Smuglyanka Moldavanka song to their children on May 8, not when they need to be thoroughly brainwashed. In fact, the people in Moldova refer to this decision as “an act of psychological pressure on children,” Only after parents filed a petition to court, was the film removed from online platforms, and the mandatory screenings were stopped.
A specific mention must be made of the new textbook, History of Romanians and World History for grade-12 students, which, according to Moldovan experts, has been compiled employing well-established Western techniques of historical falsification. For example, the defeat of the Nazi forces at Stalingrad is labelled a “catastrophe.” I agree, of course. It was a catastrophe – for the German Nazi forces. However, the textbook portrays this event as an utter catastrophe that should have been avoided. And what, pray, is said about the Siege of Leningrad? Not a word. Not a single mention. Students are encouraged to assess historical events not based on facts but through the lens of subjective “eyewitness accounts,” such as that of a certain woman from liberated Berlin, who described Soviet soldiers as “savages and thieves.” Is this acceptable?
In the lead-up to the Victory Day commemorations, Moldova’s authorities once again denied organisers permission to hold mass events in central Chisinau. Instead, a Day of Europe was marked there, accompanied by the opening of a European Town. What level of mindless indoctrination is this? First, Moldovans are told they are Romanians, then instructed to rename their Moldovan language Romanian. Now, they are to be presented with European Towns. As if the rest of Moldova, in the eyes of Chisinau’s current authorities, is not part of Europe. They are denying Moldovans even that which cannot logically be denied. Moldova has always been located on the European continent. What European Towns? It is a European country, part of European civilisation. Yet now they invent “towns” and other artifices, as though guiding citizens into a new life. Do they care not at all for the precipice that lies beyond this door?
Nevertheless, despite the authorities’ efforts, events marking the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory unfolded on an unprecedented scale. Approximately 150,000 people across both banks of the Dniester participated in the Immortal Regiment and Victory March processions, the international Candle of Memory campaign, musical concerts featuring wartime songs, car and bicycle rallies, and exhibitions. The Eternal Flame at memorials dedicated to anti-Nazi heroes in Bălți, Comrat, Orhei, and Taraclia was lit from the fire at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Moscow.
In contrast, as Moldovan commentators observed, Chisinau’s European Town appeared, “dull and lifeless.” Not even the arrival of high-ranking EU officials could conjure the illusion of a crowd.
It is evident that the attempts by the officials in Chisinau to rewrite Moldova’s history are failing. The majority of Moldovans hold dear the memory of the Red Army soldiers’ heroism – because their ancestors were the Red Army. They gave their lives heroically in the fight against a common enemy. Today, their descendants remain equally steadfast in resisting the historical revanchism of those who follow in the footsteps of Nazi criminals.
Meanwhile, the persecution of those unafraid to voice their views, including those on historical truth, continues unabated. Moldovan authorities have unleashed an outright campaign of terror. On May 12, 2025, a court in Chisinau extended the house arrest of Gagauzia’s Head, Evghenia Guțul, for an additional 30 days. On what grounds? How can a state that claims to be democratic – and whose leadership vows to deepen democratisation – justify such a campaign of harassment against lawfully elected officials supported by the people?
Guțul’s defence team intends to appeal this verdict. The actions of Maia Sandu’s regime demonstrate that its conduct serves not the interests of Moldova’s people (assuming she even considers it her country), but follows the instructions of external overseers.
The 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Danish island of Bornholm by the Soviet troops
We have taken notice of Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen’s May 4 statement related to the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the kingdom, which, in particular, contains the following claims that are at variance with the historical truth: “While in May 1945 the whole country was in festive euphoria, Soviet bombs fell on the towns of Nexø and Rønne. Bornholm remained occupied for almost a year after that.” Let us help the Danish Prime Minister remember what the situation was like in the geographical points she mentioned 80 years ago.
Eighty years ago, Red Army soldiers expelled the Nazi invaders from the island of Bornholm, a part of Denmark. On May 7-8, 1945, after the German commandant of the island refused to surrender while the Germans were shooting at Soviet airplanes flying over the island, our troops launched air strikes against German formations in the ports of Rønne and Nexø, having given the local population an advance notice.
On May 9, 1945, a Soviet assault force landed on Bornholm and disarmed the German garrison with the help of the Danish resistance fighters. Promptly responding to the Danish authorities’ written request sent in March 1946, the USSR withdrew all its troops from the island by April 5, 1946.
The then Danish leaders repeatedly expressed gratitude to the USSR for expelling the German occupiers from Bornholm. In particular, the Danish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Gustav Rasmussen, in his address to the Soviet officers on April 1, 1946, expressed “deep gratitude of the entire Danish people for the participation of the victorious Red Army in the liberation of Denmark” and, highlighting the exemplary discipline of the Soviet servicemen during their stay on the island, assured that “the Danish will always remember them as friends.” I have a question for the Prime Minister of Denmark. Have you changed your friends? Is the Red Army not your friend any longer? Then who is? The Nazi troops? Just be frank.
It is deeply regrettable that today, for political gains, Copenhagen is doing what should never be done to history. It is distorting it. It is trying to slander the Red Army’s liberation mission on Bornholm, thus attempting to justify, in the eyes of its own population, its current hostile anti-Russia policy and its essentially criminal course of backing up the Nazi regime in Kiev.
While falsifying the facts about the stay of Soviet contingent on the island, the Danish authorities prefer to forget the devastating bombing of the territory of Denmark by the British and US Air Forces during WWII, which, according to Danish historians, killed 307 Danes, including a large number of children, and wounded 788. They also hush up the fact that the Soviet Union was the first of the anti-Hitler coalition states to withdraw its troops from Denmark. The evacuation of the British troops was completed as late as in the autumn of 1947, and the United States still keeps its military presence on Danish territory. Nevertheless, for some reason Mette Frederiksen does not call either London or Washington “occupiers.” And I know why – she is scared.
In the context of the Soviet liberation of Bornholm, we would also like to draw attention to the following point, namely, Copenhagen’s disregard of its commitment, assumed in connection with the Soviet forces’ withdrawal from the island, to exercise its administration on Bornholm “without any involvement of foreign troops whatsoever,” which was fixed in the March 8, 1946 note of the Danish side sent to the USSR Government. This disregard is manifested, among other things, in the conduct of provocative military exercises on the island with the participation of the United States.
We view such actions by the Danish authorities not only as contradicting their own assurances about the unacceptability of foreign military activity on Bornholm, but also as creating security threats to Russia in the Baltic region.
New manifestations of neo-Nazism in Latvia
The neo-Nazi inclinations of the Baltic authorities are nothing new.
One of these disgusting episodes was covered by the media recently. The leadership of the city of Ogre, Latvia, has installed granite steps made from fragments of demolished memorials to Soviet soldiers at the entrance to the history and arts museum. Where do these steps lead? They lead to the museum where a blood-stained uniform of the Russian Armed Forces, allegedly belonging to a soldier killed in the zone of the special military operation, is on display. According to reports, it could have been given to Latvian neo-Nazis by like-minded Nazis from the Kiev junta. If these facts are confirmed, they will definitely fall under Russian criminal law.
The actions of the administration of this “anti-museum” have drawn criticism even from local academic and civil society circles, who have condemned the display of the military uniform as unacceptable. They noted that such actions not only violated the ethical code of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), but also contravened the principles enshrined in the 1949 Geneva Conventions.
It is noteworthy that posters glorifying soldiers of the Latvian Waffen-SS Legion – approved by the head of the Ogre municipality – previously appeared on the streets of this city. Will this draw the attention of the OSCE or perhaps UNESCO? We are speaking of a museum and neo-Nazism.
In this context, it is appropriate to recall that in April 2025, the Latvian Prosecutor’s Office dropped the criminal case against Herberts Cukurs, an SS Hauptsturmführer and member of the notorious Arajs Kommando, which had been initiated in 2006. This so-called national hero of Latvia was responsible for heinous crimes against civilians during the Second World War, including the mass murder of over 30,000 Jews. I have a question for the Israeli Embassy in Moscow and the Foreign Ministry of Israel: Have you truly heard nothing? How much longer will you avert your gaze? Soon there will be nowhere left to turn. How will you explain this silence to future generations, to whom you speak of the Holocaust? According to eyewitnesses, Cukurs personally took part in executions and torture, for which he was liquidated by Israeli intelligence in 1965 in Uruguay, where he had fled after the war. Back then, the Israeli leadership understood the weight of historical responsibility.
While the international community is celebrating the Victory Day over Nazism, as shown by the presence of many foreign leaders at the Victory Parade in Moscow, Latvia’s ruling elite continues to indulge in dangerous nostalgia for a period in which their country collaborated with Nazi Germany and participated in atrocities against the multinational people of the Soviet Union.
Russia condemns all manifestations of neo-Nazism in the Baltic States, which are dangerous to the civilised world. We will continue to resist them resolutely in the international arena.
We call upon all those for whom the memory of the Second World War and the victims of the Holocaust are not empty words to unite and act together.
On Russian-Chinese Declaration in Support of International Law
On May 8, 2025, during the official visit of President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China to Moscow, the foreign ministers of Russia and China Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi signed the Joint Declaration on Further Strengthening of Cooperation to Uphold the Authority of International Law.
The Joint Declaration reflects shared views of the two countries on contemporary international law, its further development path, and the challenges it faces. Russia and China reaffirm their commitment to the UN Charter and the principles of international law rooted in it, in all their totality and interconnection. The two States intend to jointly defend the world order based on international law and fundamental norms of international relations.
Moscow and Beijing strongly oppose unilateral coercive measures (sanctions) that violate international law. They also stand for the inviolability of the principle of sovereign equality of States and the norms on the immunity of States and their officials arising from this principle. Compliance with them is a guarantee of stable interstate relations. The Parties agreed not to assist third countries and multilateral structures in their politically motivated unlawful attempts to prosecute Russian and Chinese citizens.
The Declaration also represents a shared vision of further steps to strengthen the international legal framework for arms control, disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, activities in the Oceans, combating climate change and other challenges, including plastic pollution, and the use of information and communication technologies, in particular artificial intelligence.
In the year of the 80th anniversary of the Victory in the Second World War, which formed the basis of the contemporary world order, Russia and China call upon all States and international organizations to respect the principles and norms of international law and to cooperate in promoting fair and equitable international relations.
Collective Security Treaty anniversary
May 15 marks 33 years since the Collective Security Treaty was signed, which subsequently gained the status of an international regional organisation, the CSTO, in 2002.
Today, the CSTO acts as a guarantor of stability and security for its member states – Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The experience accumulated over the years makes it one of the key elements of the emerging new architecture of an equal and indivisible security in Eurasia.
The allied parties are jointly taking standing system-wide measures to further build up the organisation’s capabilities. They are expanding foreign policy coordination and practical cooperation in combating international terrorism and extremism, illicit trafficking in drugs and weapons, organised transnational crime and illegal migration. New areas for cooperation are being explored and developed, such as information and biological security.
Preserving the sacred memory of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, won at the cost of enormous efforts, remains a priority. The leaders of all CSTO countries attended the grand commemorative events in Moscow marking the 80th anniversary of Victory.
One of the key goals for the CSTO member states is to enhance the combat effectiveness of its Collective Forces, also through accommodating the best practices of the Russian Armed Forces.
This year, joint CSTO exercises will be held in Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
As the CSTO is developing its peacekeeping component, the necessary conditions are being created for the organisation to join United Nations peacekeeping operations.
The CSTO is open to cooperation with all states and international organisations that are ready for constructive interaction in areas of mutual interest, including as observers and partners.
The CSTO member states will substantively consider the prospects for the further expansion of allied cooperation within the organisation, as well as potential steps to strengthen its capacity and address the challenges and threats to their security more effectively during the forthcoming meetings of the CSTO Council of Defence Ministers, the Committee of Secretaries of Security Councils and the Council of Foreign Ministers in the Kyrgyz Republic in May and June.
Situation on the Indo-Pakistani border
We welcome the agreement on de-escalation reached between New Delhi and Islamabad. It is our hope that the emerging normalisation of the situation will prove both durable and long-term. We regard this as an essential prerequisite for ensuring lasting peace and stability in the region. We expect the involved parties to continue exercising restraint and to prevent any renewed aggravation of tensions.
Russia consistently advocates for the resumption of dialogue and the strengthening of mutual trust between India and Pakistan. We call upon both states to resolve existing differences through political and diplomatic means on a bilateral basis.
Escalation of the situation in Tripoli
On the night of May 12–13, 2025, following the elimination the previous day of Abdel Ghani al-Kikli, the leader of a western Libyan armed group, the situation in Tripoli sharply deteriorated. Clashes took place between law enforcement units and formations outside the control of the Government of National Unity of Libya, involving the use of small arms and heavy weaponry, including in the area of Mitiga International Airport. Reports indicate casualties and injuries on both sides, as well as detentions of anti-government militants.
On May 14, the Libyan Ministry of Defence announced the achievement of a ceasefire agreement across all hotspots in the capital.
We urge the Libyan authorities and their opponents to refrain from steps or actions that could lead to uncontrolled escalation and further civilian casualties.
According to information from the Russian Embassy in Tripoli, there are no fatalities or injuries among our compatriots.
We recommend that Russian citizens avoid travel to western Libya until the situation there stabilises.
US President’s Executive Order to improve the security of biological research
We have noted US President Donald Trump’s Executive Order on enhancing the safety of biological research, which mandates the cessation of state funding for certain activities involving dangerous pathogens, including those conducted beyond national borders. Specifically, to the extent ascertainable, state financing will be withdrawn from studies aimed at enhancing the properties and contagiousness of pathogens. These activities have been conducted without adequate US oversight, fail to meet American standards, or occur in territories where doubts persist regarding the proper supervision of biological research.
We view efforts to strengthen control over biological activities as a step in the right direction, indicative of an adjustment to the approaches on bio-security previously pursued by the former US administration. The adoption of this Executive Order effectively constitutes Washington’s acknowledgment of conducting research with dangerous pathogens across various global regions, including areas in close proximity to Russian borders. This aligns with concerns we have consistently raised over many years.
In this context, it is pertinent to recall the monumental efforts undertaken by Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, Chief of the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, who was treacherously assassinated at the behest of the terrorist Kiev regime.
Nevertheless, the announced measures remain insufficient to allay Russia’s concerns and objections regarding Washington’s military-biological activities abroad. Under the aforementioned Executive Order, state funding for overseas biological research through the US military department and affiliated organisations will persist. The document imposes no restrictions on such activities provided they are conducted under American oversight and in compliance with US standards. Consequently, the risks and threats to international security associated with these endeavours, including compliance with the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC), endure.
Of particular concern is the evidence uncovered during the special military operation, which confirms the implementation of a Pentagon-supported military-biological programme on Ukrainian territory in violation of the BTWC. For years, Russia has sought answers from Washington regarding this activity.
We intend to continue pressing the United States for comprehensive clarifications and disclosures. It is our hope that the current US administration will take necessary steps to rectify this disquieting situation. The conduct of research involving dangerous pathogens in US-controlled biolaboratories on Ukrainian soil – activities potentially linked to the development of biological weapon components – has previously been acknowledged by senior US officials. Recall, for instance, the admission by former US Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland, whose evident discomfort while making this declaration spoke volumes. We have repeatedly emphasised, and reiterate now, our openness to bilateral engagement with the American side to eliminate these persistent irritants.
We expect Washington to undertake requisite measures to address Russia’s legitimate concerns regarding US military-biological activities and to ensure full compliance by the United States with its obligations under the BTWC.
Anglo-Saxons’ war crimes in Afghanistan
We have taken note of the BBC story on more uncovered crimes committed by Western military during Afghanistan’s occupation. Veterans of the UK Special Forces told journalists about them.
Some of their fellow combatants, feeling impunity, routinely killed unarmed people, killed the wounded, and even competed with each other in the number of killed. Intoxicated by bloodlust, they sought revenge on the Afghans in each of their counter-terrorism operations. Even children became victims of their executions. This is not fiction, not Kremlin propaganda. These are facts. This is the testimony of those who were directly involved. Firearms and fake grenades were planted on the murdered to justify the heinous acts. Isn’t that how the Westerners acted in Syria? Fabricated operation reports were used to avoid investigation.
It is indicative that the Afghan authorities, including former President Hamid Karzai, repeatedly drew the attention of then British Prime Minister David Cameron to instances of civilians killed by his compatriots, but no action was taken to bring the war criminals to justice.
We call on the British authorities to stop keeping silent about such cases and covering up for war criminals. We demand an unbiased and meticulous investigation into all the massacres against Afghan civilians and bringing the perpetrators to justice.
Payment of Russian pensions to compatriots in European countries
In view of the numerous questions regarding the cross-border payment of pensions or other social benefits in foreign currency to Russian Federation citizens, we advise that the total number of recipients of pensions and other social benefits registered with the Pension and Social Insurance Fund, which are transferred in foreign currency outside the Russian Federation, amounts to 84,119 persons (residing in 74 countries).
Starting from the first quarter of 2025, due to increased sanctions pressure from foreign countries, Gazprombank, where the relevant accounts are opened, has experienced certain difficulties in making payments in euros due to introduced blocking sanctions (including in Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Bulgaria).
Meanwhile, Russia fulfills its obligations under bilateral agreements on cooperation in social security in good faith and in full.
The Western community and its financial institutions, which are actually blocking transfers from the Russian authorised bank, which is under illegal sanctions, are entirely at fault for the artificial crisis that boils down to the delay in financing the pension payments due to compatriots living in these countries in the first quarter of 2025.
Russia is actively trying to resolve the situation. The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection and the Pension and Social Insurance Fund of Russia are working on the matter.
70th anniversary of the Warsaw Treaty Organisation
There was another remarkable date – 70 years of the Warsaw Treaty Organisation which was based on the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance signed on May 14, 1955 by Albania, Bulgaria, Hungary, the German Democratic Republic, Poland, Romania, the USSR and Czechoslovakia at the Warsaw conference of the European socialist states on ensuring peace and security in Europe.
The Warsaw Treaty Organisation was a direct response of the socialist community countries to the establishment of NATO by the US-led West, a military bloc which proclaimed a “crusade” against the countries of people’s democracy. The emergence of the Warsaw Treaty Organisation, with its purely defensive doctrine, was brought about by the risks of unleashing a new world war in Europe. An imminent threat to the security of the socialist countries emerged, in particular, due to the remilitarisation of West Germany and its accession to the North Atlantic alliance, as well as due to the ratification by the Western states of the 1954 Paris Agreements with a view to establishing a Western European Union – a united bloc of European powers and the United States.
The Warsaw Treaty Organisation’s goals and principles were in full compliance with the UN Charter and aimed at sustaining security of the member states and peace on the European continent. The Soviet army provided the bulk of the military potential for the organisation as the USSR designed and supplied advanced weaponry to its allies and maintained close military technical cooperation with the member states.
This interaction ensured that for over 30 years, the military and political alliance of the USSR and European socialist countries provided defence for the Treaty’s member states, maintained peace and security in Europe and kept a military strategic balance between the USSR and the US and between the Warsaw Treaty bloc and the North Atlantic Alliance. A new war on the European continent was avoided despite all the tensions in world politics.
The dissolution of the Warsaw Treaty Organisation in 1991 in the wake of domestic political processes in the Treaty’s member countries entered history as a milestone event of the second half of the 20th century, which was destined to radically change the geopolitical situation. The bipolar security system has been dismantled, the balance of power in the world has drastically changed, and the US and its allies remained the only force aspiring to global dominance in international affairs. This led to NATO’s unprecedented expansion which threatened Russia, and provoked Washington’s uncontrolled use of military force to solve its geopolitical issues. The collective West started a series of military conflicts across the world which undermined the foundations of the international order enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
Celebrations of the 80th anniversary of Victory will continue throughout the year. On May 19, the first CIS International Legal Forum will take place as part of the 13th St Petersburg International Legal Forum. It includes a section organised by the CIS Executive Committee – The Legal Legacy of Victory in the Great Patriotic War: Historical Significance and Modern Challenges.
It is expected that ways to preserve the Victory legacy, shared by all the CIS nations, and the basic principles of the post-war world order will be discussed there, as well as what the CIS countries can do to counter attempts to rewrite history and belittle the key role of the Soviet Union in the victorious end of World War II.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will send his video address to the participants of the section.
The section will be moderated by Special Presidential Envoy for International Cultural Cooperation Mikhail Shvydkoy. Authoritative representatives of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, the CIS Executive Committee, as well as the Special Rapporteur of the UN Human Rights Council on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights Alena Douhan are expected to take part in the panel discussion.
We would like to invite all the participants of the St Petersburg International Legal Forum, including media representatives, to attend the event.
Supporting and promoting the Russian language abroad is a key priority of Russia’s external humanitarian agenda. A meaningful contribution to international cooperation in this sphere is made by the Kostomarov Forum, hosted by the Pushkin State Institute of the Russian Language with the support of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation and under the auspices of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO.
The fifth forum will be held on May 21-24, 2025. Its topic will be Language and Culture. It is timed to mark the 95th birth anniversary of academician Vitaly Kostomarov, whose research explored the deep interconnection between language and culture.
The forum will address key issues of state policy in the promotion of the Russian language and culture abroad, the global, regional and country-specific status of the Russian language, contemporary methods in linguistics and cultural studies, cutting-edge philological research, interdisciplinary aspects, including those with the use of artificial intelligence, and other related issues.
The event will bring together Russian and international experts, scholars, educators, public officials, businesspeople, civil society representatives, and cultural figures.
A special feature of the forum will be original workshops by both Russian and foreign researchers specialising in Russian language studies. This year, particular focus will be placed on marking the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War.
Participants can find the full programme, register for the event, and join the online streaming via the official website of the Kostomarov Forum.
42nd Plenary Week of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism
From May 26 to 30, Moscow will host the 42nd Plenary Week of the Eurasian Group on Combating Money Laundering and Financing of Terrorism (EAG). The Group comprises nine member states: Belarus, India, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, with an additional 17 states and 24 international and regional organisations holding observer status.
Collaboration among the member states is based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, and consideration for each other’s interests. Over the years, the EAG has developed an effective model of interstate partnership, ensuring transparency in financial flows, promptly identifying and mitigating risks in the anti-money-laundering sphere, and responding swiftly through practical, forward-looking projects aimed at maintaining regional and global financial security.
Participants will include representatives of the Government of the Russian Federation, the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, the Federal Service for Financial Monitoring, relevant ministries and agencies, the private sector, and experts and academics from across the Eurasian region, as well as observer states and organisations. The events will bring together over 200 delegates from more than 15 countries and 20 international organisations.
Under Russia’s chairmanship in 2024–2025, the EAG is implementing measures to strengthen cooperation with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and related international organisations, enhance mechanisms for information exchange, and develop coordinated approaches to educational initiatives and coverage of developments in the Eurasian region.
We invite representatives of Russian and foreign media to participate in covering this event. For accreditation we ask to send an application of participant to pr@fedsfm.ru until 5 p.m. on May 22, 2025, indicating the full name, position, contact information, full name of the media, list of equipment (if available).
Foreign bloggers’ tour of Great Patriotic War memorial sites
From May 5 to 10, 2025, a thematic foreign bloggers’ tour of Great Patriotic War memorial sites took place across Russia, organised by the Federal Agency for Youth Affair, the World Youth Festival Directorate, and the Volunteers of Victory national public movement.
Thirty-five new media representatives from 19 countries visited memorial sites and pivotal locations of the Great Patriotic War. Participants included young people from France, Belgium, Belarus, the Czech Republic, Vietnam, the United States, Bulgaria, Abkhazia, Canada, India, Ethiopia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Syria, Serbia, Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico.
The tour followed four routes: Moscow – Volgograd Region, St Petersburg – Leningrad Region, St Petersburg – Republic of Karelia, and Moscow – Tula Region. Participants not only gained insight into the authentic history of the Great Patriotic War but also met with veterans personally, hearing first-hand accounts of heroic deeds and tragic events.
The new media representatives actively shared their impressions with audiences abroad. I can confidently state that their content reached millions of subscribers.
I would also like to highlight another significant initiative supported by the international youth movement. The nationwide We Stand for Cleanliness clean-up week, launched in May to mark the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland and the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War, saw participation from young activists in Bulgaria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Serbia, North Macedonia, Luxembourg, the Republic of Moldova, and other European countries. These volunteers organised campaigns to restore and maintain Great Patriotic War memorials and monuments across Europe.
It is heartening that, at a time when the West seeks to rewrite history – cancelling some figures and reprogramming others – international youth cooperation continues to grow and expand its reach.
During our briefings, we speak extensively on our efforts to counter the “cancel culture” the collective West is actively pursuing. Among the projects to rebuff disinformation is the Znaniye.Award initiative by the Znaniye (Knowledge) Russian Society. It was instituted to acknowledge achievements by educators, lecturers, authors, bloggers in education, and promoters of science, and also to recognise various educational projects.
The contest is running for the fifth time this year as it gains momentum with every year. The number of contestants has risen sixfold. In the past four seasons, there have been over 47,000 applications from all Russian regions and 64 foreign countries. This time the list of nominees includes representative of 56 countries from nearly all the continents except for Australia and Antarctica.
Applicants are to go through several selection stages, get high appraisal from experts and the honorary jury, whose members include Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
There are 18 categories to apply. A new category, For Contribution to Preserving the Memory of Defenders of the Fatherland, was introduced this year especially for the Year of the Defender of the Fatherland in Russia, declared in 2025 by President Vladimir Putin’s executive order. The winners in this category will be those educators and projects that narrate stories of the feats committed by defenders of the Fatherland as well as the heroic past and equally heroic present of our country, and also contribute to preserving historical memory and nurturing genuine patriotism.
The category Foreign Educator of the Year is a meaningful part of the project. Its participants are foreign nationals regardless of their place of residence. The category is meant to recognise those who actively help fight falsification of historical facts about Russia, promote Russian culture and science, and disseminate information about our country and its role in world affairs.
This year, Znaniye.Awards regional ceremonies will be held for the first time. Each of the country’s regions will name the best educator and the best educational project of the year. Applications for the fifth season are accepted at the project’s website untill September.
Question: On May 12, a global hunger monitor published a report claiming that the entire Gaza Strip population is at risk of starvation, with half a million people in danger of starving to death. How would you assess the overall humanitarian situation in Gaza? Are there any plans for humanitarian aid to be provided by Russia in the near future?
Maria Zakharova: All international experts, regionalists and states in their national capacity view the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip as catastrophic. Obviously, all of them use the word “catastrophic” to varying degrees.
This is confirmed by the specialised UN agencies as well as international non-governmental organisations. After Israel imposed a complete blockade on the Palestinian enclave in early March following the collapse of negotiations with Hamas on a ceasefire and exchange of detainees, the situation there has become further aggravated.
We assume that any international efforts aimed at overcoming this terrible humanitarian crisis will not be effective enough unless they are integrated into the overall normalisation in Gaza and the political settlement of the Palestinian problem as a whole on a well-known international legal basis. The priority today is to achieve an early end to the hostilities that would provide for safe and unhindered humanitarian access to the Gaza Strip.
As for Russia, it has traditionally provided humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians both in a bilateral format and through specialised UN agencies. Since October 2023, the Russian Ministry of Civil Defence, Emergencies and Disaster Relief alone has sent over 800 tonnes of supplies to the Gaza Strip population, including foodstuffs, medicines, and essential items. In addition, our country contributes $2 million annually to the UN World Food Programme and the budget of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. We will further provide comprehensive assistance.
Question: Do you have any reliable information regarding the timing of the Istanbul negotiations?
Maria Zakharova: Our delegation is already in Istanbul. Its composition has been made public, with the relevant information published on Kremlin platforms. At the initiative of the Turkish side, the talks have been rescheduled for the afternoon. This constitutes verified information.
Question: Why does France display such excessive initiative regarding EU anti-Russian sanctions, and do it or other EU states possess the right to threaten Russia with restrictive measures concerning the Ukrainian conflict settlement, and what might Russia’s response be?
Maria Zakharova: To address this succinctly: no party holds any right to issue threats. No such provision exists within international law. Given France’s status as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, it bears heightened responsibility not only to comply with international law but to ensure its observance by others. No clause grants France or any other state to threaten nations with unlawful actions or impose sanctions circumventing the UN Security Council.
France’s current posture holds no surprises for us. It is universally acknowledged that since 2022, Paris has ranked among the most implacable accomplices in the West’s hybrid war against our country. This is no revelation. One need only examine statements by President of France Emmanuel Macron, who articulates this position with unambiguous clarity. Another matter is that on the following day, he may pivot to rhetoric about peace, negotiations, or tables at which they wish to convene – only to revert swiftly to threats, blackmail, and ultimatums.
In recent months, France has de facto assumed leadership of the Western “war party,” not only furnishing comprehensive support to the Kiev regime but joining Britain in styling itself as its principal curator and sponsor.
France (I mean its leadership) has long contributed substantially to crafting illegitimate sanctions packages. Now, it seeks to intimidate us with threats of new, purportedly more draconian sanctions.
We reiterate nothing novel. Consider President Emmanuel Macron’s own “address to the nation,” wherein he dismissed the need for a “fragile ceasefire.” Presently, hysterical appeals for an unconditional cessation of hostilities emanate from Paris. Clearly, Kiev’s Western patrons aim solely to grant it respite while escalating the broader confrontation – a fact they scarcely conceal. It has long been evident that the European Union’s anti-Russia packages bear no relation to resolving the Ukrainian crisis. Even children have now grasped this.
Initially conceived as an element of containment policy, they now form instruments of trade warfare – attempts to offset their deficiencies in scientific and technological spheres and obstruct normal civil societal development. Ordinary citizens refuse to align themselves with Russophobia or participate in this aggressive anti-Russia campaign unleashed by the collective West.
Were these measures genuinely effective in achieving their proclaimed objectives – were they remotely connected to Ukraine’s realities – their architects might permit time to assess efficacy of these measures. Yet before announcing one package, they already brandish the next. None of these packages will escape Russia’s proportionate response. Meticulously calibrated countermeasures, prioritising our national interests and those of our citizens, will persist in answer to such acts.
Returning to France: we underscore that attempts to engage Russia through pressure, ultimatums, threats, blackmail, or obscenities (toward which they steadily descend) are futile. We refrain from labelling them unlawful – their disdain for legality is manifest – but emphasise their hopelessness.
French authorities would profit from contemplating the consequences of their manipulations – of international law, and of the trust Russia extended during seven years of deceit, as they hoodwinked the global community with tales of championing Minsk agreements’ implementation. As former President of France François Hollande (then incumbent) has since admitted: they never intended to fulfil these agreements.
Question: The “coalition of the willing” and Kiev put forward an ultimatum to stop all military operations by May 12. What can be said about the legitimacy of these statements, if Kiev failed to observe the May 9 ceasefire?
Maria Zakharova: Basically, international law does not confirm any ultimatums, if these appeal to it. Earlier today, I said this: While declaring their ceasefire-related ultimatums, they for some reason overlooked President Putin’s decision on a three-day cessation of hostilities in honour of the Victory anniversary. This means that they do not even take into account the real situation on the ground. They are divorced from reality. This is largely done to create an “atmosphere,” including in their countries.
It is impossible to believe this, given that France was a member of the anti-Hitler coalition during World War II. Impossible to believe that a while ago, when French war veterans were still alive, France could have done something to “interrupt the May 9 agenda,” as they say, disrupt the parade, or distract the international attention from the Victory anniversary in Russia. But now, this is their goal.
Therefore, they use all tools available to them – all sorts of statements, ultimatums, hysterics – to dissuade people in their countries from watching the parade and have them believe that Russia is in isolation. We find it absurd to hear and comprehend. But for them, this is normal.
They are ready to fly to Lvov, organise all sorts of “coalitions of the willing,” and invent “gibberish mixed with fiddle-faddle” just to keep alive the illusion about an “isolated Russia” that their propaganda has sought to create. To no avail!
For them, this is a failure, a collapse, a total fiasco. I mean the fact that Russia, despite the hybrid war declared on it, the rewriting of history, demolition of war monuments, threats to Russian compatriots, and the monstrous trade war unleashed by the West, that Russia develops, celebrates the anniversary of Victory, welcomes foreign guests at all levels, and shows its strength, might and development prospects. They cannot put up with that.
This crosses out whatever they have done at the cost of billions taken from the pockets of their fellow citizens. How should they report to them? What will they show for it? This is the reason why they blow these “soap bubbles.” They had some European “peace funds” that sponsored arms supplies to the Kiev regime and some “plans of victory”… The things they had! They plant stories all the time and put up “smoke screens” to prevent people in EU and NATO countries from seeing the real picture. Otherwise these people will just turn around and enquire what their leaders have done throughout all these years.
Question: During recent high-level trade and economic negotiations between China and the United States, substantial progress was achieved, including a significant reduction in bilateral tariff levels. The Chinese side asserts that this measure aligns with the expectations of producers and consumers in both countries, serves the interests of China and the United States, and advances the collective interests of the global community. As a strategic partner committed to multilateral principles, how does Russia assess the significance of these negotiations?
Maria Zakharova: The trade de-escalation between China and the United States constitutes positive news for global commerce. This step substantially mitigates heightened concerns in recent months over a potential recession in the global economy due to declining volumes of international goods trade, including as a consequence of the sharp rise in reciprocal tariffs – indeed, this could scarcely be termed a mere “rise;” it was a vertical take-off – between the world’s largest economies. A beneficial effect is already evident in the stabilisation of global financial markets and the restoration of supply chains for goods most severely impacted by the “tariff tornado.”
We anticipate that the agreement between China and the United States to establish a mechanism for economic and trade consultations will enable both countries to formulate mutually acceptable parameters for their trade and economic relations in the foreseeable future.
Question: The international community is closely monitoring the upcoming direct Russian-Ukrainian negotiations in Istanbul on May 15. China, Brazil, and other parties have expressed support for direct dialogue between Russia and Ukraine. How do you assess the likelihood of a substantive breakthrough during the resumption of these talks?
Maria Zakharova: We express gratitude to all who are attentively following the situation, empathising with, sympathising with, and supporting this path towards a peaceful political and diplomatic settlement. We have noted the global recognition of, and support for, the initiative of the President of Russia to commence direct negotiations in Istanbul. We appreciate the efforts of China and Brazil, which have consistently advocated for the pursuit of political and diplomatic options to regulate the Ukrainian crisis since the outset of the special military operation.
We are closely monitoring the rhetoric from Kiev. The Kiev regime – as it has done for many years – is attempting, even on this occasion, to orchestrate a spectacle surrounding the negotiations. There have been contradictory, inconsistent, and mutually exclusive statements emanating from Bankovaya Street.
Our position is guided by the remarks made by President of Russia Vladimir Putin. A long-term, durable peace with historical perspective remains our priority. This is the disposition of the Russian delegation, which is presently in Istanbul. Such are the instructions it has received. This topic was elaborated in exhaustive detail by President of Russia Vladimir Putin during the relevant news conference.
As for the Ukrainian side – the extent of its preparedness, the objectives for which it is prepared, and the manner of its preparedness – these will be revealed, not least, during today’s proceedings in Istanbul.
Question: High-level Chinese-American trade and economic negotiations recently took place in Geneva, culminating in a joint statement. According to a spokesperson for China’s Ministry of Commerce, substantial progress was achieved through significant reductions in bilateral customs duties. What further remarks might you offer?
Maria Zakharova: I would add that these agreements may serve as a foundation for the subsequent development of balanced solutions which take into account the interests of both states: China and the United States. Such dialogue, grounded in pragmatism and mutual respect, has the potential to establish constructive parameters for the further evolution of bilateral relations in this domain.
Question: The German Cabinet has expressed Berlin’s desire to participate in potential negotiations in Istanbul, an option also under consideration by US President Donald Trump. What is Russia’s stance on the possible presence of Western leaders at such talks?
Maria Zakharova: Regarding the statements by Donald Trump – I have not seen what you refer to. However, I did indeed take note of Berlin’s remarks. I must underscore that the declarations from Berlin, Paris, and London sharply contrast with their concrete, practical steps. They speak of wanting “a seat at the negotiating table” or of a “political and diplomatic path to settlement” – as I have reiterated multiple times – yet simultaneously persist in channelling weaponry to the Kiev regime, justifying the allocation of sums untenable for the current state of EU economies to Bankovaya Street. They do not condemn but, in essence, endorse the terrorist activities of the Kiev regime, indulging its monstrous neo-Nazi policies that now transcend mere infringement of rights to the outright annihilation of human rights on Ukrainian territory. This is the reality. How can they lay claims to anything within this reality? Let them change the reality. Only then will their professed desire to engage in political and diplomatic efforts aimed at peace align with tangible actions. For now, such rhetoric remains wholly inconsistent, rendering it perplexing to hear adults make such statements. Indeed, footage from the notorious train has clarified much.
Question: President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev planned to attend Victory Parade in Moscow this year, but his visit was cancelled. How would you describe Russian-Azerbaijani relations?
Maria Zakharova: We are developing relations with Baku on the basis of the Declaration on Allied Interaction, which was signed at the highest level in February 2022. Russia is committed to making full use of the potential of that document, which is of fundamental importance for bilateral relations, and to settling all arising problems on the basis of mutual benefit and respect.
Our immediate plans include a series of high-level contacts between our governments and foreign ministries. We will keep you informed.
However, it is strange that you disregard the fact that ceremonial units from Azerbaijan took part in our celebrations, complementing it with their striking performance and commemorating the memory of ethnic Azerbaijanis who served in the Red Army. Haven’t you noticed that? We made a point of that and were delighted that on that day we stood united with the citizens of Azerbaijan who live in Azerbaijan, Russia and other countries in our respect for historical memory and the heroism of our forefathers, which is impossible to forget. That is what you should have paid attention to.
As for the schedule of state leaders, that issue has been commented by the Presidential Executive Office. It is wrong, unfair and dangerous to disregard these obvious facts.
Question: Vladimir Zelensky has stated that he is ready for talks with President Vladimir Putin. However, the 2022 executive order that prohibits the Ukrainian authorities from conducting dialogue with Russia as long as Putin is president has not been cancelled. How would you explain this legal and political catch?
Maria Zakharova: You can explain it by the “uncontrollable chaos” provoked by the collective West in Ukraine. In the past, they usually incited what they could control, but this time they have created what can’t be controlled. Over the past decades, the West has been victimising Ukrainian statehood and conducting experiments there, such as Maidan revolts and third election rounds. We have seen direct influence by Western politicians, the handing out of cookies, the training of fighters, the coalition of victors, and the ejection of legitimate authorities from their offices. And you are asking about the catch now. This manmade history is called uncontrollable chaos and has been created by the collective West.
Question: You stated that Russia would provide an appropriate response to Poland’s decision to shut down Russia’s consulate general in Krakow. You also said that Warsaw was deliberately destroying its relations with Moscow, acting contrary to the interests of Polish people. Are there reasons to believe that Polish Russophobia will decrease after the presidential election scheduled there for May 18? Or will the situation continue to deteriorate all the way to the suspension of diplomatic relations?
Maria Zakharova: Warsaw’s actions have pushed our bilateral relations to a level where there is nothing more to suspend. Of course, you can continue to harm your own people, like the Polish authorities are doing. They have come to that. At the same time, Russia has not initiated any actions that could bring this about, but we always appropriately respond to Poland’s unfriendly actions.
As for the possible decrease of Russophobia, we don’t see any signs of that. The absence of these signs is yet another proof that the Polish authorities have been trying to explain all their problems by “Moscow’s intrigues,” like last year’s fire that destroyed a shopping centre, which was blamed on Russia and led to the shutdown of our consulate general in Krakow.
This is absurd, but they find it useful to blame all their failures on Russia. Time will set everything right. The real culprits will be found, and new circumstances will come to light, like it always happened before.
A relevant example is the Soviet/Russian submarines that were reported to surface in the centre of Swedish cities, even though these cities are located away from the sea. It was later established that they were empty barrels or small boats, but nobody cared. The main thing is to produce the effect at the right time. They simply wanted to shut down the Russian consulate general, and they found a pretext for doing that. They have created that pretext, but I don’t think that clear-headed Poles accepted it at face value.
Question: Russian officials have repeatedly criticised Switzerland’s neutrality, even though Switzerland does not supply weapons to Ukraine. Does Russia consider Switzerland a neutral state?
Maria Zakharova: The answer is definitely no. We do not consider Switzerland a neutral state. The Swiss Confederation has approved a foreign policy strategy that excludes Russia from the European security system. The country is enhancing contacts with NATO, opening a NATO liaison office in Geneva, and participating in the European Sky Shield Initiative, a joint air defence system. Furthermore, Switzerland granted the Kiev regime’s request and hosted a Ukraine peace summit in June 2024. Without being an EU member, the country joined all its packages of anti-Russia sanctions. Is this what you call a neutral status? Therefore, neutrality and Switzerland are incompatible concepts for us now.
Question: In the event of a conflict with Europe, will Russia respect Switzerland’s neutrality?
Maria Zakharova: If we do not recognise it, how can we respect it? If you are talking about a potential conflict, this question should rather be addressed to those who are nurturing it. Ask them why they are doing it and why Europe needs to be militarised. It is clear that their “project,” which envisioned using Ukraine as an instrument of influence on Russia, has flopped. Now they decided to militarise their own countries. Why? Western Europe has had a wealth of experience in this field. Each iteration had destructive consequences.
Every statement we ever addressed to Western Europe always contained a call for indivisible security. We have always wanted to build this kind of security architecture collectively. We worked as part of the OSCE as well as in various formats of cooperation with NATO. We did everything in our power, but each time we were refused, blocked, stonewalled, not listened to – all our proposals were rejected.
Question: Is Russia being militarised?
Maria Zakharova: Fighting continues day after day. We must be ready to repel attacks. Every day, civilians are being targeted by drones and terrorist attacks. We are strengthening the defences in those contexts where we are being attacked. It is a natural and logical thing to do.
If someone tried to break into your house by picking the lock, you would probably install a second lock. We respond to specific threats. We see how many weapons are being sent to Ukraine, and how much money is provided to the Kiev regime, among other things, to finance terrorist attacks. Naturally, we are enhancing our capabilities to deal with these challenges. We never directed additional resources towards this before, doing no more than standard countermeasures. Now we take into consideration the broader picture, the situation on the ground and the plans that NATO and the EU are hatching.
In addition, we have the new reality to consider. Finland and Sweden, two countries located in close proximity to Russia, were not NATO members previously. Now both have joined the North Atlantic Alliance; furthermore, they behave inappropriately, contrary to what their populations need or want, relentlessly demonstrating aggressive intentions with regard to our country and adopting anti-Russia sanctions. This is a new factor that never existed before. We have been hearing calls to inflict a “strategic defeat” on Russia; no one is hiding it. We take all this into account; it becomes a factor in our decision-making. It is unclear though what factors drive the EU countries’ decisions on militarisation. They have invented a Russian threat and maintain this myth in their citizens’ minds.
Question: Why do both Russia and Ukraine view Türkiye as a platform for negotiations, despite the collapse of the previous talks there? Why not start with a clean slate and involve countries like Italy, China or India? After all, holding talks in Türkiye seems like a concession to Ukraine.
Maria Zakharova: President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has already commented on this. The talks are resuming from the point where they broke off at the insistence of the UK, which pressured the Kiev regime in 2022. That’s the logic behind it.
Question: But didn’t the talks collapse there?
Maria Zakharova: No, they didn’t collapse. They were sabotaged. Was it Türkiye that disrupted them? No, it was the UK. And that disruption was later reinforced by the Biden administration.
Question: So are we giving Ukraine a chance?
Maria Zakharova: Our delegation has arrived and is ready to work. The basis of its approach was outlined by our President at the news conference on May 11. The comprehensive position of the Russian Federation was set out by President Putin in his address on June 14, 2024.
Question: At what point could a meeting between Vladimir Putin and Vladimir Zelensky take place?
Maria Zakharova: All matters relating to the President’s negotiations and visits are commented on by the Presidential Executive Office.
Question: The Kurdistan Workers’ Party, which has waged an armed struggle against the official Turkish government since 1984, has announced that it will cease its armed campaign and dissolve itself as of May 12, 2025. How does Moscow assess this decision? What impact might it have on regional security?
Maria Zakharova: We welcome any steps aimed at resolving the long-standing conflict and ending violence.
The Russian Federation is interested in maintaining and strengthening socio-political stability in Türkiye, an important neighbour and partner. We firmly believe that addressing the country’s challenges through peaceful democratic dialogue, and ensuring the rights and freedoms of all ethnic and religious groups, will benefit the entire Turkish people and contribute to peace and security in the region.
Question: A visit by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Armenia is scheduled for May. What is the date and agenda of this visit? Is this visit linked to the opening of a Russian consulate in Syunik?
Maria Zakharova: The visit is currently being arranged. We will certainly share detailed information with you in due course, including a response to the second part of your question.
Question: Are there any changes in the Russian position at the talks compared to what President Putin said on June 14, 2024, and the documents initialled in Istanbul in April 2022?
Maria Zakharova: Yes, there are. They reflect changes on the ground. The Defence Ministry of Russia has just reported that the Russian army has liberated Novoaleksandrovka and Torskoye in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Here are the changes for you.
What concerns me is that your wonderful agency, a professional operation in every sense of the word, has always focused on compliance with human rights as it inquired about hot conflicts in different parts of the world, including those in our country (I remember the 1990s well). So why have you never asked about the same issue? After all, this matter has been mentioned numerous times by President of Russia Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
The real issue is that what is being done to people, to civilians, and the attempts to completely erase their human rights. It’s astonishing. It’s as if a switch has been flipped. The topic no longer exists. No right to one’s native language, no right to freedom of expression, no right to freedom of religion… No nothing. As though none of it matters. But it does. These are precisely the root causes of the crisis that no one in the West wanted to acknowledge. But the new US President, Donald Trump, recognised these root causes. Representatives of the Global Majority talked about them as well.
Western civil society and the media seem unable to grasp that people are being destroyed at every level. There is an attempt to “reprogram” them, to reshape their minds, to force them to pledge allegiance to anti-values.
Question: During negotiations, will Russia insist on recognition of its newly acquired regions within the borders that it currently controls or will the discussion concern recognition of these regions within the borders they had as part of Ukraine?
Maria Zakharova: I would like to quote what Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on September 28, 2024: “In April 2022, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators reached agreement in Istanbul. If that agreement had been observed, Ukraine would have preserved part of Donbass. But every time another agreement, always accepted by Russia, is broken, Ukraine shrinks in size.” All those seeking to find interconnections between the negotiating process and the size of the territory would do well to keep this quote in mind.
Question: The European Commission has announced its plans to spend 900 million euros of income from the frozen Russian assets to purchase weapons and munitions for the Kiev regime and one billion euros to manufacture drones and missiles in Ukraine. Do you regard this as utter cynicism, a provocation, or the possibility that the EU is trying to use these Russian funds to settle its economic problems?
Maria Zakharova: Sorry to interrupt you, but I monitor the news. I have read that Zelensky has described the level of the Russian delegation sent to Istanbul as “more like a sham level,” although it is led by Vladimir Medinsky and includes Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin, a representative of the Defence Ministry, and Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Igor Kostyukov. Who used the word “sham”? It was used by a comedian and a loser, a person with a moot education, to describe people who not only have a basic education but also scientific degrees and services to the Fatherland, and who have proved their professionalism by their deeds. But he has described them as “sham.” Who does he think he is? How can a person who was brought to power thanks to information technologies and huge funds, which were allocated to turn him into an instrument, question anyone’s professionalism? This person has no right to use such words about top-notch professionals. Besides, it is the same delegation that gave this “sham” person a chance to save his country and people three years ago, but this person did not use it because he is a sham. Sorry, but I had to say this.
As for your question, it refers to both the economic level and education standards. While claiming to stand for peace, the EU leadership continues to invest in fuelling the Ukrainian conflict. The EU knows that the suspension of arms supplies to the Kiev regime is one of Russia’s conditions for a ceasefire, yet they deliberately and provocatively advance ever new initiatives for sending weapons and military hardware to Ukraine and regularly organise relevant “get-togethers.” This stance looks especially cynical in light of the global powers’ attempts to find an acceptable solution to the conflict and President Putin’s proposal on direct talks with Ukraine advanced on May 11, 2025.
That “trio” again went to Zelensky to convince him to escalate the conflict and to get him into yet another mess, instead of urging him to do what really can serve the cause of peace, that is, hold direct talks, for which the Russian delegation in Istanbul is ready.
The EU is peddling the invented Russian threat. Why are they doing this? Because this myth helps to divert public attention from the disastrous economic situation. What caused the economic disaster? The anti-Russia sanctions, which triggered countermeasures; the loss of resources that certain countries are struggling with after cutting off Russian imports even though they had been reliable and economically efficient; and endless manipulations in all segments of the economy and finance. A market economy is regulated by the law of supply and demand; otherwise, we get what we get – there is no in-between. They have created this situation by imposing their illegitimate sanctions, politicising the economic agenda, and inventing new paradigms that bring opportunistic, momentary benefits on the stock markets rather than reflect any real concern for the environment. They are not after new and more environmentally friendly sources of energy – they are manipulating this concept for political benefits or short-term enrichment. This makes sense. But why are they doing this? Western Europe has enough problems as it is. They were provoked by their own illogical, unwise and misguided actions, and their confrontational policy towards Russia. The economic situation in the EU countries leaves much to be desired. They have been overborrowed, and it is getting worse.
Now Donald Trump has come to clean up after Joe Biden. He said very honestly and bluntly that, with these figures and trends, America needs urgent help. Officials from the European Union are moving towards the same debt pit. Therefore, by fuelling the Russian threat myth, they are stimulating the Kiev regime and putting their hands in their own citizens’ pockets. They are effectively stealing money now.
On the other hand, stealing is the norm for certain countries. Remember how many times they have plundered Libya, Venezuela, other countries, economic operators, or companies. This is not the first time they do it, is it? They see this as a normal practice, legalised years, maybe centuries ago. There is nothing new.
What is new is the particular cynicism of their actions because, transferring all this money to help Ukraine, they are not doing it selflessly. This adds to the country’s excessive debt load. Under the guise of providing funds for Ukraine’s development, they are siphoning off resources and enslaving the country – or whatever is left of it.
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We are following the developments in Istanbul and will inform you as soon as we receive news. We are in touch with our delegation. We will see what the side that has made the loudest calls for a truce and peace will do now, or how it will react to a situation where there are specific proposals to work with.
