Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, Moscow, April 9, 2025
Table of Contents
- Sergey Lavrov’s participation in a meeting of the CIS Foreign Ministers Council
- Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the 8th meeting of Russian and Central Asian foreign ministers
- Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum
- Sergey Lavrov’s participation in a meeting of the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter
- Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s participation in Anniversary Year: From Mexico to Argentina, an exhibition to mark milestone dates for diplomatic relations between Russia and a number of Latin American and Caribbean states
- 44th meeting of the Foreign Ministry’s Council of Heads of Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation
- Second round of Russian-American consultations on normalising the functioning of diplomatic missions of the two countries
- Ukraine update
- Ukrainian military plans to use Ukrainian combatants as organ donors
- Potentially disastrous consequences for regional and global stability caused by EU and NATO as main instigators of war in Ukraine
- More discriminatory actions by France regarding Russia’s participation in UNESCO
- Algerian authorities’ initiative to criminalise French colonialism
- European Union’s economic self-destruction through the abandonment of Russian energy resources
- 20th anniversary of the adoption of the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism by the UN General Assembly
- Unveiling a bust of Leo Tolstoy at the Colombian Institute of Culture
- Memory of the Victors: 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War international forum
- International Day of the Resistance Movement
- International Day of Liberation of Nazi concentration camps
- 80th anniversary of Vienna’s liberation by the Soviet army
- The Global Fact-Checking Network
- Events at the UN Economic and Social Council’s Youth Forum
- The China-Japan-South Korea trilateral ministerial meeting
- The US trade tariffs
- The US-PRC “trade wars”
- Russia’s role in Iranian nuclear settlement
- Sergey Lavrov’s schedule and meetings at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum
- The possibility of a meeting between Sergey Lavrov and the Ukrainian foreign minister
- The impact of US tariffs on the EAEU and the CIS
- Russia’s likely mediation in US-Iranian relations
- Changes in the Russian entry rules for EAEU citizens
- The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border
- Russia opens its general consulate in Kapan, Armenia
- Russia’s participation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
- The impact of the US “trade wars” on the Russian economy
- Syria update
- Türkiye’s options for solving the Kurdish problem
- The Iranian-US relations
Sergey Lavrov’s participation in a meeting of the CIS Foreign Ministers Council
On April 11, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the first in this year meeting of the CIS Foreign Ministers Council, held in Almaty.
The ministers will exchange views on current international and regional issues and discuss priority spheres of integration cooperation within the CIS this year.
The discussion will focus on preparations for the celebration of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in the CIS member states and other issues of cultural and humanitarian cooperation, as well as ways to strengthen border security.
Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the 8th meeting of Russian and Central Asian foreign ministers
Later the same day, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the 8th meeting of the foreign ministers of Russian and Central Asian states – Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
They will discuss a broad range of political, trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian matters of concern for Russia and Central Asian states in the six-party format. They will also exchange views on the key international issues in terms of coordinating efforts to settle these issues in the interests of stronger security and stability in Central Asia.
Sergey Lavrov’s participation in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum
On April 12, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will visit Antalya, Türkiye, at the invitation of Foreign Minister of the Republic of Türkiye Hakan Fidan, for the participation of the 4th Antalya Diplomacy Forum.
The Minister will make a statement and hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts to discuss key issues on the international agenda, including the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, the South Caucasus and the Black Sea region, as well as current issues of bilateral relations.
Sergey Lavrov’s participation in a meeting of the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter
On April 14, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will take part in the third meeting of National Coordinators of the Group of Friends in Defence of the UN Charter, held in Moscow.
The group of 19 countries was established in 2021 at Venezuela’s initiative in the context of increasing Western attempts to change the world order based on the UN Charter and other norms of international law.
The prestige of the Group has been growing consistently in the past years. It is becoming a powerful instrument for strengthening the voice of the Global South and resisting the unilateral actions of the Western “camp,” and is making a substantial contribution to building a fair multipolar world order.
Participants in the Group’s meeting in Moscow will discuss the issues on its agenda, such as the elimination of all forms and manifestations of colonialism. Special attention is to be given to matters of particular concern to individual countries and regions. The meeting participants will also discuss the possibility of building up the effectiveness and expanding the geography of the Group.
On April 15, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will open the Anniversary Year: From Mexico to Argentina comprehensive exhibition, timed to coincide with the landmark anniversaries of diplomatic relations with a significant group of Latin American states: Argentina (140 years), Mexico (135 years), Colombia (90 years), Bolivia, Venezuela, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and Ecuador (80 years each), Honduras (35 years), as well as the 65th anniversary of the restoration of diplomatic ties with Cuba.
Representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Moscow, alongside scientific, public, business, and media circles, have been invited to the event.
The exhibition will feature copies of documents from the Archive of Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation, highlighting the establishment of relations with the aforementioned states, as well as materials demonstrating the development of multifaceted collaboration with countries in the region across political, economic, cultural, and humanitarian spheres.
A dedicated stand will focus on the contribution of Latin American and Caribbean states to the fight against fascism.
The organisers pledge that the exhibition will be imbued with the unique Latin American flair.
We will make every effort to ensure that a wide audience can acquaint themselves with this exhibition in digital format.
On April 16, the 44th meeting of the Foreign Ministry’s Council of Heads of Constituent Entities of the Russian Federation will convene at the Foreign Ministry Mansion under the chairmanship of Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. Participants will include governors, senior officials of the Presidential Executive Office, and representatives of federal executive authorities.
The agenda will feature a detailed discussion on the resettlement to Russia of citizens from unfriendly states, framed within the implementation of Presidential Executive Order No. 702 of August 19, 2024, On Providing Humanitarian Support to Individuals Sharing Traditional Russian Spiritual and Moral Values. The session is expected to yield recommendations of an informational, legal, and organisational nature to systematise efforts in this domain.
Additionally, the meeting will facilitate an exchange of views on the Arctic dimension of interregional cooperation. A report will be delivered by Arkhangelsk Region Governor Alexander Tsybulsky. Participants will also review a proposal by Amur Region Governor Vasily Orlov to establish a federal-level Russian-Chinese Business Cooperation Competence Centre in Blagoveshchensk, envisaged as a mechanism to enhance coordination of bilateral interregional ties.
On April 10, the second round of Russian-American consultations aimed at normalising the functioning of diplomatic missions between the two countries will take place.
The venue, expert-level format, and composition of participants remain unchanged. Consultations will be held in Istanbul. The Russian delegation will again be led by Alexander Darchiev (now serving as Ambassador of Russia to the United States). The American side will be represented by Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Sonata Coulter. Other participants include officials from the foreign policy agencies of Russia and the United States.
The discussions will focus on continuing the ongoing substantive work to address numerous technical impediments hindering the operations of diplomats from both nations.
The Kiev regime cynically continues daily attacks on Russia’s energy infrastructure despite its own vows to support the 30-day moratorium on firing at energy facilities, which was coordinated by the presidents of Russia and the United States on March 18 of this year. Russia, in this context, strictly observes the ban on such attacks. Between April 4 and 7, the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) launched 32 assaults on energy facilities in Russian regions.
Specifically, on April 4, the AFU’s deliberate attacks damaged 5 power facilities owned by the Russian Electric Grid Company in the Bryansk Region, 4 in the Belgorod Region, 1 in the Voronezh Region, 1 in the Lipetsk Region, and 1 in the Kherson Region; equipment at the Kremennaya gas distributing plant in the Lugansk People’s Republic, and the Smolensk NPP - Kaluga high voltage line.
On April 5, the AFU damaged the Krymenergo Company’s Ostrovskoye-Kovylnoye HV line (Republic of Crimea), two distribution gas pipelines in the Voronezh Region, 3 power facilities of the Russian Electric Grid Company in the Bryansk Region, and 1in the Rostov Region.
On April 6, the AFU attacked 2 power facilities of the Russian Electric Grid Company in the Rostov Region, 1 in the Bryansk Region, 1 in the Voronezh Region, and 1 in the Kherson Region; a REC power substation in the Donetsk People’s Republic. In consequence, thousands of residents in Russian localities have been cut off from power and gas supplies.
The data on the Kiev regime’s attacks against Russian energy infrastructure, attacks performed in violation of its own commitments, are conveyed to the US side, the UN, and the OSCE as concrete evidence demonstrating complete intractability and total irresponsibility of Vladimir Zelensky and his gang.
Why is this important? We hear that it is necessary to maintain a dialogue with the Kiev regime. But, first, the dialogue is still being blocked at the legislative level by the Kiev regime itself. Second, it fails to deliver even where it has assumed commitments.
On April 5, a Ukrainian drone attacked a car in the village of Beryozovka, Belgorod Region, wounding three individuals, including a 15-year-old boy. A drone wounded two persons at the village of Borki, Belgorod Region, including a 15-year-old boy. In all, at least 11 persons were injured in the Belgorod Region last week.
On April 4, an AFU artillery attack killed a woman in the Kalinin District, Gorlovka. On April 5, a Ukrainian attack killed a Fish Shop woman employee in Makeyevka and wounded two of her colleagues. On the same day, Ukrainian drones attacked passenger cars in the Tsentralno-Gorodskoi District of Gorlovka, killing a man and wounding five others. On April 7, another two persons were affected. In all, 18 civilians were injured in the Donetsk People’s Republic last week.
On April 4 and 7, Ukrainian drones attacked residential areas in the Bryansk Region, killing two civilians and wounding one.
A priest from Sudzha told journalists that Ukrainian soldiers had sold “tickets for plundering the Sudzha District” to residents in the Sumy Region of Ukraine. On presenting this “marauding ticket” at a Ukrainian checkpoint, they got a permission to drive to occupied settlements, where these hunters for other people’s property picked up houses for plunder. They plundered whatever they could carry away.
We previously mentioned cases where some belongings of those regions’ residents surfaced on social media and online marketplaces, offered by sellers who just visited them recently – AFU soldiers, Banderites, militants of the Kiev regime. This is not just beyond good and evil – this is beyond basic human morality.
The Kiev regime has long been doing business on this war, of course. In this context, one of the so-called volunteer organisations, the NAFO 69th Sniffing Brigade, which offers Europeans trips to areas of active hostilities, as well as exclusive products with foreign symbols for monetary “donations” for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, has become active on social media.
When we say “safari,” we refer to hunters given licenses during a specific season so they could hunt in specially designated places. People go hunting legally in a controlled environment. The Kiev regime has invented its own “safari” tours.
For example, for an original chevron with foreign symbols, you need to pay more than 100 euros. For an inscription on the vehicle, they charge 1,500 euros and up, and for a flag, 2,500 euros. Those who contribute in excess of 10,000 euros can join a safari tour to the frontline, accompanied by instructors.
By the 21st century, the world has accumulated many perversions. World-weary individuals, with not a shred of humanity or morality left in them, have invented all sorts of things to “amuse” themselves. But this sort of perversion, I could not even begin to imagine. At a time when people are trying to survive, when responsible countries are looking for a way out of this terrible drama, there are individuals who are ready to pay a couple of thousand euros or dollars to go and entertain themselves with the views of blood and devastation.
Ukrainian nationalists did similar business in 2015-2022, offering their Nazi-leaning kin from the United States and Western Europe a chance to fire at the positions of the Donbass militia for a handsome monetary compensation, i.e. to participate in the conflict. The degree of moral degradation of such “volunteers” is clearly evidenced by the products they manufacture. A chevron is offered for sale on social media saying “Sorry, we’re closed” referring the Pyaterochka grocery store in Sudzha destroyed by the Ukrainian militants.
Russian law enforcement agencies carefully document the testimony of civilians about the crimes committed by the Ukrainian militants and mercenaries. Criminal cases have been initiated, and investigations are underway to identify persons complicit in these and other atrocities against the civilian population of the Russian regions.
The year of the 80th anniversary of the Victory is a “special” moment for those who rewrite history. They are all excited, distorting history and falsifying historical truth with an even greater frenzy. They do this on a systematic basis.
Ten years ago, on April 9, 2015, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted a package of laws on decommunization, including the recognition of members of nationalist groups, such as the OUN-UPA, which is prohibited in Russia, as “fighters for the independence of Ukraine.”
Today, the Kiev junta continues its devious policy of falsifying historical truth and erasing the memory of the generation of winners who liberated the world from the Nazi plague. Members of Ukrainian nationalist organisations and Nazi accomplices, who are guilty of the death of hundreds of thousands of women, senior citizens and children of various nationalities, have been given an equal status with veterans of the Great Patriotic War. The names of those members of punitive units and collaborators were added to the Ukrainian list of memorable dates. Streets and squares were named after them, monuments to them were erected and torchlight rallies were held in their honour. All this is going on in Ukraine.
The Western handlers of the Kiev regime turned a blind eye to this criminal disrespect for the memory of the most horrible war of the 20th century, and their silence encouraged the revival and enforcement of man-hating ideology within Ukrainian society. Everyone knows what the encouragement of Nazism and pandering to its leaders can lead to. You can see it in Ukraine.
Regrettably, the current generation of European politicians is unable or unwilling to draw correct conclusions from the lessons of history. Like their predecessors in the inter-war period of the 1930s, they are trying to use Nazis, this time Ukrainian ones, to defeat Russia on the battlefield. We would like to remind them about the futility of such attempts. There is no future for neo-Nazism. It will be defeated and finally rooted out, just like 80 years ago.
Russian courts continue to impose sentences on Ukrainian neo-Nazis and mercenaries for their war crimes.
Gonzalez Perez Valentin Alexandro, a mercenary from Uruguay, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison (in absentia).
The cases of mercenaries from Finland and Georgia – Tero Olavi Koivisto and Tornike Goguadze – have been forwarded to court. Both have been placed on the international wanted list.
This work doesn’t stop for a day. We will regularly inform you about its progress.
We have taken note of Zelensky’s cynical reaction to the April 4 precision strike delivered by a Russian high explosive missile at the Magellan restaurant in Krivoy Rog, where Ukrainian military commanders were meeting with Western instructors. He pretended to be outraged by the absence of a harsh US reaction to the fake story about “a Russian missile that has killed children,” and accused Washington of failure to speak the truth. He called on the West to exert greater pressure on Moscow, which, according to him, prefers death to a ceasefire. He either sniffed too much up again, or it was an orchestrated action to remind about himself. If he wants to hear the truth, we will provide it.
An analysis of the footage taken at the site shows that the Russian hit a military target with surgical precision. According to the Defence Ministry, it killed approximately 85 servicemen and foreign officers. Anything that could have happened near the explosion site is the result of Kiev’s practice of placing air defence systems near residential houses and unprofessional use of the armed forces that results in civilian deaths. Regrettably, this has become a tragic norm for the Ukrainian Nazis, who sacrifice the lives of their compatriots. They have always used the tactic of placing snipers and military equipment in residential districts, including near schools, kindergartens, hospitals and outpatient clinics.
At the same time, new evidence is emerging of the deliberate murders by Ukrainian militants of completely innocent people, including women and the elderly, in areas that Russian forces are liberating. Unfortunately, increasingly horrific discoveries continue to be made. It can be asserted that executions of Kurk Region residents by the neo-Nazis were a regular occurrence.
Ukrainian militants have long been targeting residents of Russian regions. Eyewitnesses who survived the horrors inflicted by Ukrainian forces report that brutal thugs from these military units interpret the white flag or any other symbol denoting civilian status as a signal to kill defenceless people, including both Russian and Ukrainian nationals.
I would like to draw your attention to the fact that today, at 3 pm on April 9, a report titled ‘War crimes of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Kursk Region’ will be presented at the Press Centre of the Rossiya Segodnya International Information Agency. The document is based on testimonies from victims and witnesses of the monstrous crimes committed by Ukrainian militants. Maxim Grigoryev, the Chairman of the International Public Tribunal on the Crimes of Ukrainian Neo-Nazis and Director of the Foundation for the Study of Democracy, authored the report.
We invite Russian and foreign media to take part in this event.
Although this report is difficult to read, it must be examined to understand the full extent of the dehumanisation brought about by the regime established by Western countries over many years.
On April 4-5, 2025, a meeting of the chiefs of general staffs from Ukraine, the United Kingdom and France took place in Kiev to discuss operational plans regarding the possible deployment of a multinational peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine as part of the Coalition of the Willing. They effectively discussed specific parameters for a future French-British intervention in Ukraine’s Black Sea ports, primarily Odessa. Once again, no decisions were made. Clearly, the Zelensky regime, which expects its European allies to deploy troops (an action that would indicate those countries have sided with Kiev in this conflict), is frustrated by this delay.
We have repeatedly noted the potential consequences of these actions. I want to reiterate that we will view any foreign military presence in Ukraine, regardless of flag, insignia or declared mandates, as a threat to Russia's security. Such a military presence carries the risk of direct military clashes involving participants in these missions, including certain NATO members, and our country.
Ukraine history textbooks endorsed by Ukraine’s Ministry of Education and Science for use by 11th graders came as another drop to the sea of total lies churned out by Kiev as a way to keep the neo-Nazi junta in power. The textbook contains a whole section dedicated to the rule of “reformer” Vladimir Zelensky, who is the subject of a personality cult in Ukraine and in the West. His pseudo-services to the people, such as opening the land market and the infamous “big construction project” ridden with corruption scandals, are included in the textbook. The goal of the government programme initiated by Zelensky in March 2020 was to improve transport, education, social, and sports infrastructure. Prices were inflated, and the programme was often referred to as the Grand Theft. All of the above is offered as something the 11th graders in Ukrainian schools should be proud of before they get called up. Sure enough, not a word is said about thousands of Ukrainians forcibly exterminated on the battlefield, the economic disaster, and rampant theft. Things like that are said online and on social media by mothers and wives of those men in Ukraine who are driven to slaughter like cattle.
These facts once again confirm the relevance of the special military operation to denazify and demilitarise Ukraine and to eliminate threats emanating from that country. All its goals will by all means be achieved.
Ukrainian military plans to use Ukrainian combatants as organ donors
There is mounting evidence that the Kiev regime has turned the armed conflict into a lucrative criminal business. We have repeatedly discussed black transplantologists operating in Ukraine, and the Russian media have conducted investigations into that as well. More evidence has become publicly available recently.
We are talking about the testimony provided by prisoner of war Andrey Chemer (born in 1984) from the 41st mechanised brigade of the Ukrainian forces, which became public. A form of the Ministry of Health of the Canadian province of Ontario for voluntary transfer of organs and tissues after death to Canadian medical institutions was found in his papers during the search.
According to Andrey Chemer, everyone in his unit filled in such a form. The gunmen handed them over to the brigade commander. The Ukrainian soldiers themselves were told that this form for transferring organs and tissues after their death was a “French medical policy” (the form is in French, which is an official language in the Canadian province of Ontario), which would allow them to receive treatment in “top-of-the-line hospitals in France” in case of injury.
Realising that the mobilised AFU personnel cannot read French, Kiev approved this lucrative scheme where dead military personnel were to be carved up and their organs made available to Canadians, who may not even know who donated their new kidney or heart.
Whoever signs such a document risks being forever listed as “missing in action” instead of being properly buried after death. Probably, the Ukrainian commanders even have a stake in fulfilling Western orders for donor organs. They have been doing so for a long time now. They have legalised a facilitated procedure of transplantology in Ukraine. That is why even a treatable wound may turn fatal for each particular soldier, and army medical units will be looking for intact organs and tissues for the next transplantation rather than treat a soldier in question. It is a much easier thing for them to do, all the more so as the corresponding legislative basis to act according to the “French policy” has been provided.
According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, there are tens of thousands of missing Ukrainian soldiers. The question of how many of them have become donors for wealthy Canadians and citizens of other countries remains open.
On April 3-4, NATO foreign ministers gathered in Brussels showing once again that NATO is relentless in its efforts to militarise Europe and to concoct confrontational plans with regard to our country. The alliance continues to believe that Russia remains a long-term threat to it and will remain such after the Ukraine conflict is over.
As they are getting prepared for an armed conflict with Russia, which NATO officials believe could break out within the next four to five years, NATO countries plan to dramatically increase military spending. Calls to reach figures between 3 percent and 5 percent of GDP can be heard increasingly more often. Enormous amounts of money in excess of one trillion US dollars are spent annually by NATO members for military purposes at a time when their economies are bursting at the seams, and Europe is on track to deindustrialisation. The number of social issues has reached a critical mass. Does anyone still have doubts about the supposedly peaceful nature of the alliance, as NATO officials tried to assure us? I don’t think so.
The EU is following a similar track with the participants of an informal EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting at the level of defence ministers in Warsaw on April 2–3 discussing ways to increase military spending. The goal was laid out, and it is to inflict a strategic defeat on the battlefield to our country. To this end, the EU officials plan to set aside over 800 billion euros for military needs over the next four years.
NATO and the EU’s policies towards Ukraine align with their broader aggressive global plans, in which Ukraine is assigned the role of an easy mark in a geopolitical confrontation with Russia. The collective West plans to continue supporting the Kiev regime meaning that the Ukrainians must keep fighting. In the first three months of this year alone, NATO has allocated 20 billion euros to Bankovaya Street. The alliance shows no signs of telling its puppets to start constructive peace talks. On the contrary, NATO is doing everything possible to pour fuel on the fire of the conflict. At a meeting in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte openly advocated for the front line to move not from east to west, but in the opposite direction. In other words, to cite a famous line by Vladimir Vysotsky, they just want our battalion commander to push himself off with his foot from the Urals Mountains and to head westward. This is what NATO ideologists are pressing us to do.
Brussels believes Zelensky’s position will get stronger with the laughable coalition of the willing on his side. The latter is a group of maniacs, the extremely radical part of the alliance’s member states, who are eager to directly participate in the Ukraine conflict on the side of the regime that is led by Bandera followers. The ringleaders of this group of reckless adventurers-Britain and France-are convening summits and meetings of general staff chiefs, failing to realise that their reckless actions could lead to the largest armed conflict involving nuclear powers ever since World War II.
More discriminatory actions by France regarding Russia’s participation in UNESCO
We have repeatedly brought France’s systematic violations of its international legal obligations as the host country of UNESCO’s central institutions to everyone’s attention. The French side abuses its status and regularly and without plausible explanations denies visas to members of official Russian delegations that plan to participate in the events held by this international organisation, or delays their visas thus thwarting their participation. The rotation of diplomatic and administrative and technical personnel at Russia’s Permanent Mission to UNESCO has been effectively frozen.
Last week, we once again ran into outrageously defiant disregard for international law which was aimed-there is no other way to see it-at undermining the work of our delegation at the 221st session of the UNESCO Executive Board on April 2-17.
Director of the Foreign Ministry’s Department for Multilateral Humanitarian Cooperation and Cultural Relations Alexander Alimov, who also serves as the Executive Secretary of the Commission of the Russian Federation for UNESCO Affairs, did not receive his French visa on time, making it impossible for him to travel to Paris as scheduled. He was not travelling to France per se, but to an international organisation located within the borders of France. France must issue visas to delegates who are required to participate in the functions held on its territory.
However, what happened on April 6 at Charles de Gaulle Airport defies any explanation. Naturally, we demanded that the French side provide clarifications. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine how they are going to justify their actions. The fact is that the French border service detained our Ministry’s employee, a member of the official Russian delegation, without providing any reasons, and seized her phone and computer. The Russian Embassy immediately sent a consular officer to the airport, but he had to wait nearly seven hours before he could gain access to his colleague, who had arrived in France as part of an official delegation. What makes this situation even more cynical is the fact that the French authorities had issued her a visa for this official business trip, only to stage this disgraceful show upon her arrival.
The Russian Embassy in Paris sent a note of protest to the French Foreign Ministry. During a meeting at the Russian Foreign Ministry, a strong protest was conveyed to the leadership of the French Embassy in Moscow. As a result of these diplomatic démarches, our colleague was eventually granted entry into the country. However, she had to spend 24 hours in the airport’s border zone. We will not leave this without consequences. When we speak of consequences, the Élysée Palace should be aware that summoning the ambassador and a note of protest are not consequences. Consequences will follow.
We demand that Paris comply with Article 9 of the 1954 Agreement between the Government of the French Republic and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) concerning the central institutions of UNESCO and their privileges and immunities in France. This article obliges French authorities to permit, without delay, the entry to France of members of official delegations and staff of permanent missions to this international organisation. Once again, we call on the UNESCO Secretariat to take all necessary measures within its mandate in order to put an end to this illegal discriminatory practice, which does nothing but harm UNESCO’s activities and also calls into question France’s ability to act as a host country.
I do, however, have a theory about what happened. A new French ambassador has just arrived in Moscow. Perhaps, he has ill-wishers at the French Foreign Ministry who set him up in order to mar the first days of his mission to our country with a scandal. But that's just a theory.
Algerian authorities’ initiative to criminalise French colonialism
It would be an understatement to say that Paris has an extensive colonial history. At our briefings, we have raised the topic of the crimes French colonialists committed in different regions of the world. Our Ministry’s website has an entire section dedicated to France’s historical and international legal responsibility for the crimes of the colonial and post-colonial periods.
France’s colonial conquests resulted in turning an entire continent into the country’s resource base. Paris’s colonial policy was rooted in ideas of racial and cultural superiority, with the French perceiving themselves as bearers of “higher ideas.” In order to force the Algerians into obedience, the colonial administration resorted to kidnappings, extrajudicial executions, murders, torture, and sexual harassment.
The French colonial policy sadly resulted in millions of victims, political instability, a backward economy, and damage to the environment. The brutal crimes of the colonial past still make many people around the world suffer.
One of the most glaring examples was the crimes France committed during the colonial period in Algeria. This North African country, whose society had been considered one the educated ones before the French colonists arrived, regained its independence in 1962, following eight years of the intense war that ended with the Evian Accords granting Algeria freedom after 132 years of occupation.
Algeria has taken consistent efforts do disclose facts related to the fight against colonialism. The Martyrs National Museum was created to help preserve the memory of the colonial policy against the Algerian people, war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as the nationwide resistance to the colonial forces and the victory in the fight for independence, and pass it on to future generations.
In Algeria, facts on the crimes that the French committed during the colonial yoke are part of the historical memory. However, until recently, the French government refused to acknowledge the scale of crimes and atrocities committed during their colonial rule, despite the large numbers of Algerians who were killed or tortured. The list of crimes included the use of chemical weapons and torture, as well as nuclear weapons testing. Official Paris’s blatantly rude behaviour and refusal to recognise responsibility for the committed crimes forced the Algerian authorities to begin drafting a law on the criminalisation of French colonialism, which was announced at the Algerian Parliament on March 27. The document is expected to enshrine the recognition of France’s crimes during the colonial period. If the law is accepted, Algeria will officially demand that Paris pay compensation for the damage caused. The Algerian ruling circles are convinced that the atrocities must be equated with crimes against humanity, and their perpetrators with Nazi executioners.
We believe that France can no longer suppress the independence and sovereignty of nations. Russia supports Algeria in its strive to make the French recognise their responsibility for the crimes committed during the colonial era and receive fair compensation for the severe consequences, both past and present, caused by colonisation and neocolonialism.
European Union’s economic self-destruction through the abandonment of Russian energy resources
This flawed culture of impunity, cultivated for centuries in the West, has led its proponents to lose touch with reality and ultimately deceive themselves. Let us address how the European Union has undermined its own economy by severing ties with Russian energy resources.
The European Union remains in a state of turmoil following the imposition of elevated tariffs on EU imports by Donald Trump. The leadership of the European institutions vows to protect the interests of their citizens and producers. Meanwhile, experts paint a grim outlook for the EU economy – estimates suggest that under the new US administration, the EU’s economic losses over four years could reach €750 billion. Against this backdrop, I would like to focus not on hypothetical future costs but on consequences already materialised.
What the European Union refuses to disclose to its citizens is how it has demolished the economic prosperity built in Western European member states – prosperity destroyed by ideologues who demanded the rupture of all economic and financial links with our country. These outcomes are not impending; they are already here. If there is now a wave of critical thinking and analysis regarding the impact of new US tariffs, let them similarly engage their citizens in discussing the effects of their reckless abandonment of Russian energy resources – consequences felt by both ordinary citizens and major EU businesses. These figures are existing realities. Brussels, however, assiduously obscures the true cost to the EU of massive anti-Russian sanctions introduced since the start of the special military operation, alongside other ill-considered measures – or conversely, “highly calculated” efforts to dismantle economic ties with our country.
The energy resources abandonment stands as the starkest example, though not the sole one. This began with counter-sanctions imposed in response to their restrictions, which inflicted substantial costs across multiple sectors of industry and manufacturing. In their bid to damage Russia, the EU adopted a destructive course to reject Russian energy commodities.
This suicidal policy has not only failed to achieve its intended results against our country but has dealt a severe blow to the European Union and its member states. It is no secret that reliable Russian energy supplies on favourable terms served for decades as the bedrock of EU prosperity and competitiveness.
Proof is required, and incontrovertibly, it lies within the figures I present. The economic growth of the European Union has markedly decelerated. In 2024, it was a mere 1 percent. In contrast, Russia’s GDP growth during the same period reached 4.1 percent. Industrial production within the EU continues to decline, contracting by 2.4 percent in 2024. The situation is even more severe for individual member states. According to Eurostat, Germany – formerly the EU’s economic powerhouse and one of its most industrially advanced nations – experienced a GDP drop of 0.2 percent in 2024, while industrial output plummeted by 4.5 percent year-on-year. The chemical sector and automotive industry bore the brunt, with German factories producing merely 4 million vehicles in 2024 – a 25 percent reduction from pre-pandemic levels. This indicates a clear trajectory of deindustrialisation: shuttered factories, abandoned high-potential projects (notably in semiconductor and hydrogen production), and the exodus of industrial capacity overseas. The cause is manifest: European companies now pay 2-3 times more for electricity and 4.5 times more for gas than their American counterparts.
However, this is merely the tip of the iceberg. Were one to assess the full extent of the European Union’s lost profit due to its anti-Russian energy stance, the magnitude of the issue would appear overwhelming. Expert estimates suggest that from 2022 to 2024, as a consequence of procuring more costly energy resources over Russian alternatives, the European Union incurred losses of approximately €50-60 billion, exclusive of indirect economic repercussions. Had the energy crisis not materialised – its root cause being the ill-judged manoeuvres of the European Union and the West collectively – and had the EU continued sourcing Russian energy at equitable prices, member states might have realised savings exceeding €500 billion. This figure closely parallels the financial resources EU officials are currently seeking to safeguard the European Union’s competitiveness.
This, however, is not the entirety of the predicament. Expert analyses have shown that by 2024, the cumulative GDP losses across EU nations attained 3.8 percent, with an average decline of 2.4 percent over the period spanning 2022 to 2024. Altogether, this translates to approximately €1.3 trillion in damages. There exist other projections – some even more severe. Nevertheless, let us consider these figures. Russophobia indeed proves to be a costly fixation. This represents the genuine cost of the EU’s anti-Russian trajectory. When Brussels extols its achievements in renouncing Russian energy resources, let it corroborate these assertions with such stark statistics.
The EU’s detrimental policies have impacted ordinary Europeans most severely. Analysts estimate that between 2022 and 2024, EU citizens were deprived of €1.6 trillion in income – vast sums that could have been allocated to addressing their real, pressing, and immediate concerns, such as alleviating energy poverty. According to the European Commission, in 2024, approximately 47 million Europeans were unable to afford adequate home heating – a situation affecting one in ten individuals. It is hardly surprising that EU officials are intensifying their anti-Russian rhetoric. It is increasingly challenging to exert pressure on ordinary EU citizens, who are compelled to tighten their belts even more. Yet Brussels persists in its self-destructive course, pouring hundreds of billions of euros down the drain in its anti-Russian fervour, including funds expended on supporting the Kiev regime, militarising the European economy, and paying for pricier American energy resources. This once more prompts the question: whose interests does the current European Commission, under the leadership of Ursula von der Leyen, truly serve?
On April 13, 2005, the UN General Assembly adopted the International Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism. The Russian Federation, recognising the potential danger of such crimes, developed and submitted a draft of the Convention to the UN in 1997. As a result of many years of intensive work, and despite differences that sometimes seemed insurmountable, it was ultimately possible to reach a consensus on the adoption of the text of one of the most important universal international treaties in the field of combating terrorism.
We are pleased to note that this Convention, which came into effect on July 7, 2007, was the first agreement the UN adopted at the initiative of Russia. It was the first antiterrorist Convention that was developed and agreed upon in advance, before terrorist attacks involving nuclear material and other radioactive substances could be committed. This was the first universal treaty aimed at preventing terrorist acts of mass destruction.
The adoption of the Convention laid a strong foundation for international cooperation in the fight against terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction. The provisions of the Convention ensure anti-terrorist protection for both peaceful and military nuclear energy, are aimed at preventing terrorist attacks using improvised nuclear devices, and provide for the inevitability of liability for persons guilty of committing acts of nuclear terrorism based on the principle of either extradition or prosecution. The Convention also provides a mechanism for the return of stolen radioactive materials, as well as nuclear devices or substances.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin was the first to sign the document on September 14, 2005. In January 2007, the instrument of ratification of the Convention was handed over to the UN Secretary General for safekeeping, with Russia being the first nuclear state to do so.
Unveiling a bust of Leo Tolstoy at the Colombian Institute of Culture
On April 2, a ceremony took place to unveil a bust of Leo Tolstoy at the Colombian Institute of Culture, which is named after the great Russian writer. The event was held with wide public support and was timed to mark the university’s 80th anniversary (established in November 1944) and the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and Colombia (June 25, 1935).
Ahead of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory, we recall the gesture of friendship from the Colombian people, who created the Institute of Colombian-Soviet Friendship as a sign of solidarity with the heroic deeds of Soviet soldiers and home front workers on the other side of the world during the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War. This moral support meant a great deal to our people who fought against Nazi invaders.
The institute was named after Leo Tolstoy in 1991. We are delighted that its halls can boasts a monumental composition depicting the classics by the outstanding Russian sculptor Salavat Shcherbakov. This initiative was made possible thanks to the Russian Glory Alley project, which installs sculptures and memorial signs in Russia and abroad to honour prominent figures of our Fatherland, as well as the support of the Government of Moscow, the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, the Federal Customs Service, the Embassy of Russia in Bogota and the Honorary Consulate of Russia in Medellin.
We appreciate the interest in Russian culture and language that many Colombians show. We thank everyone involved in the emergence of a new Russian cultural heritage site in Colombia.
We intend to further strengthen the ties of friendship and cooperation that traditionally bind the two nations.
On April 7-8 this year, the public movement Russia’s Immortal Regiment held the international forum, Memory of the Victors: 80th Anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, on the eve of the celebrations. The forum, which gathered coordinators of the Immortal Regiment march from 50 countries, aimed to pool efforts to preserve historical memory about the fight against Nazism, and counter distortion of the WWII history.
Prominent political figures, people of culture, representatives of Russian patriotic public organisations and experts in preservation of historical memory attended the forum alongside the major audience of international coordinators of the movement.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s welcoming address to the organisers and participants was read at the opening ceremony of the forum.
80th anniversary of the defeat of the Konigsberg group of German forces and the capture of Konigsberg (currently Kaliningrad) on April 9, 1945
The seizure of Konigsberg 80 years ago in the course of the East Prussian offensive was an impressive confirmation of the high military professionalism of the Soviet strategists and evidence of the Red Army’s capability to fight following Alexander Suvorov’s maxim to win with ability, not with numbers.
Konigsberg (currently Kaliningrad), the capital of the German province of East Prussia, was believed to be the most impenetrable citadel of the Third Reich which was ready for a lasting resistance even if totally isolated. The defence was based on multiple time-tested redoubts of enhanced endurance. The Germans called it ‘a steel door.’ WWII veteran Mikhail Yegorov, a participant in the combat activities, wrote in his memoirs that “only our 305-mm artillery could break through one metre-thick walls.”
The Konigsberg operation to seize the city headed by commander of the 3rd Byelorussian front Marshal Alexander Vasilevsky ran virtually with a lightning speed and was completed within three days.
The storming of Konigsberg began at 9 am on April 6 with a powerful preliminary artillery bombardment. Three hours later, infantry, tanks and self-propelled artillery systems rolled out under the cover of the artillery fire. The first line of defence was broken during the first 24 hours, and on the second day the city was completely encircled.
On April 9, the Soviet troops eliminated the last pockets of resistance. Infantry General Otto Lasch, commander of the defence, signed the instrument of surrender.
The fall of Konigsberg was a grave blow to Germany’s resistance. The naval base of Pillau was lost and the bulk of Wehrmacht’s Zemland and East Prussian groups of forces were taken out. The completion of the assault on the fortress was marked in Moscow with a top category artillery salute of 24 salvoes from 324 guns. For the Capture of Konigsberg is the only medal of the USSR instituted for the capture of a fortress-city rather than a foreign capital.
I would like to seize this opportunity and give my regards to Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock who said she was proud of her grandfather who had fought for the Third Reich in Konigsberg.
International Day of the Resistance Movement
April 10 marks the International Day of the Resistance Movement dedicated to those who fought against the Nazi German invaders during World War II in the territories occupied by the Third Reich and its allies. Unlike many other countries, we pay tribute to their memory.
The people of France, Greece, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia, Norway, and Czechoslovakia, to name a few, rose up to fight against the inhuman Nazi regime.
In Belgium, several dozen independent resistance organisations were formed, which primarily engaged in anti-fascist propaganda, gathering intelligence, acts of sabotage to thwart the occupation authorities’ actions, and similar actions. According to Belgian historians, 40,000 to 50,000 Belgians participated in the Resistance, and about 17,000 of them lost their lives.
In Bulgaria, the Fatherland Front formed the core of the anti-fascist groups. It coordinated partisan units across the country to inflict significant physical damage to Nazis and their collaborationists. Today, despite dramatic changes in Bulgarian politics and attempts by its official authorities to revise the outcomes of World War II, anti-fascist organisations in that country continue to uphold historical truth. Conscientious and caring people oppose the destruction of monuments to Soviet soldiers, and celebrate heroes of resistance such as Nikola Vaptsarov, Vladimir Zaimov, Alexander Peyev, and Angel Wagenstein.
The fight against Nazi occupiers was international, and the common goal was to defeat Nazis, liberate occupied territories, and eradicate the anti-human ideology.
More than 180,000 of our compatriots participated in the anti-fascist resistance in various countries of Europe. These were not just POWs who escaped from German death camps, but also civilians taken into Nazi slavery.
During our previous briefings, we talked about our guerrilla warfare heroes who fought in France, Italy, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and Greece.
Let us talk about the anti-fascist movement in the Baltic States. In Latvia, about 125,000 Latvians and citizens of the Latvian SSR actively fought against Hitler’s invaders on the frontlines and in the underground resistance. Latvian partisans acting on the territory occupied by the Germans were assisted by units from the Big Land and from neighbouring regions of RSFSR and BSSR. In the Leningrad Region in the summer of 1942, a Latvian partisan regiment “For Soviet Latvia” was formed, and in the spring of 1943 a Latvian partisan brigade was created. In February 1943, the headquarters of the Latvian partisan movement was established to lead the liberation struggle. Partisans attacked small Nazi garrisons, punished traitors, and prevented the civilian population from being shipped to Germany.
During the war, in Lithuania more than 9,000 Soviet partisans fought against the invaders. They took out more than 10,000 invaders and their Lithuanian minions, destroyed dozens of Nazi military towns and storage bases for ammunition and weapons, and put out of action railroad tracks and communication lines. Their activity was marked by exceptional courage. Does modern-day Lithuania remember the feat of its twenty-year-old compatriot Maria Melnikaitė, who was captured by German punishers while on a combat mission? Before executing her, Nazis subjected her to inhuman torture.
Standing near the gallows, Maria proudly threw the following words in the face of Nazi executioners: “I fought and I will die for Soviet Lithuania! And what did you come here for, you wretched German miscreants?” For her courage and steadfastness, the daughter of the Lithuanian people Maria Melnikayte was awarded the high title of Hero of the Soviet Union.
The armed resistance of partisans in the Soviet Union and participants of the resistance movement in other countries made an enormous contribution to defeating Nazism and brought closer the end of the bloodiest war in world history.
More than 300,000 Soviet partisans were presented with orders and medals with 249 of them awarded the title of Hero of the Soviet Union, and two leaders of the partisan movement, Sidor Kovpak and Alexey Fyodorov, were two-time recipients of this high award.
Employees of the People’s Commissariat of Foreign Affairs N. Pevtsov (killed in action in 1943), V. Shestakov, and I. Dementyev participated in the partisan movement. The memory of them will forever live in our hearts.
International Day of Liberation of Nazi concentration camps
April 11 marks the International Day of Liberation of Nazi concentration camps. It was established by UNESCO in 1952 to commemorate the international uprising of the prisoners of the Buchenwald death camp on April 11, 1945.
A network of concentration camps was established in Germany and occupied territories, where millions of prisoners from the Soviet Union and European countries lived and died in horrible, inhuman conditions.
During WWII, there were over 20 million prisoners from 30 countries in these camps, including about 5 million Soviet citizens. In 1946, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg declared these camps not only as a war crime but also as a crime against humanity.
The International Day of Liberation of Nazi concentration camps is a symbol of solidarity and resistance against all forms of violence, discrimination and genocide, urging the world to remember history and prevent a repetition of those tragic events.
In this context, we are outraged by the historical cynicism of the German authorities, who have been trying to downplay the importance of Victory as an act of the liberation of Europe from Nazism and refuse to recognise the crimes committed by Nazis and their accomplices in the Soviet Union as genocide against Soviet peoples.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, the granddaughter of a Nazi she claims to proud of, has issued relevant instructions to regional and municipal governments. In the past, Russian officials were not to be invited to the events commemorating Victory over Nazism. Today, the German Foreign Ministry has instructed the federal, regional and local organisations that hold commemorative events ahead of the 80th anniversary of the end of the horrible Second World War, which our country fought to bring about, losing so many lives, to remove Russian and Belarusian representatives should they decide to attend these events. We have already commented on that fact, but I invite you to think about it again.
This decision was adopted by Annalena Baerbock, who will be nominated as President of the UN General Assembly, in the year of the 80th anniversary of Victory over Nazism and the establishment of the UN.
80th anniversary of Vienna’s liberation by the Soviet army
On April 13, 1945, the 3rd Ukrainian Front commanded by Marshal Fyodor Tolbukhin, acting jointly with the 2nd Ukrainian Front commanded by Marshal Rodion Malinovsky, liberated Vienna. By acting quickly and selflessly, the Soviet forces prevented the destruction of the city and many of its architectural landmarks, which the Nazis planned to blow up upon their withdrawal. It was thanks to the refusal by the Soviet command to use artillery that Vienna has preserved its historical outlook. Our grandfathers and great-grandfathers preserved the architectural heritage of that Austrian city, where even Russian diplomats find it difficult to go to because of the obstacles erected by the Vienna authorities.
As many as 16,000 Soviet soldiers died during the Vienna Offensive, which lasted from March 16 to April 15, 1945.
The German command heavily relied on the defence of Vienna as a way to hamper the advancing Soviet forces until the signing of a separate peace with Britain and the United States. However, the Soviet forces brought through German defences on March 16, 1945, defeated the Army Group South, and reached the approaches to Vienna.
On April 6, seeking to prevent civilian casualties and preserve the city and its historical landmarks, the command of the 3rd Ukrainian Front appealed to the residents of Vienna to help Soviet troops and prevent the Nazis from destroying their city.
On April 9, the Soviet Government published a statement reaffirming its decision to comply with the Moscow Declaration on Austria’s Independence.
By midday of April 13, Vienna was fully liberated from Nazi troops. A victory salute was given in Moscow at 9 pm on April 13, 1945, to mark the liberation of Vienna.
To commemorate the event, over 20 detachments that distinguished themselves in the battle of Vienna were awarded the honorary title of Vienna. The Soviet Government also established a medal For the Capture of Vienna.
There are 217 monuments and military graves in Austria. In accordance with Article 19 of the State Treaty for the Re-Establishment of an Independent and Democratic Austria, it undertook “to respect, preserve and maintain” military graves on Austrian territory.
A Soviet War Memorial was unveiled in the centre of Vienna on August 19, 1945.
The Russian diplomatic missions in Austria hold annual events commemorating the liberation of Vienna, aimed at maintaining the historical memory about the heroism of Soviet soldiers.
When the Russian delegation led by Sergey Lavrov visited Vienna, the Foreign Minister always brought flowers to that monument.
The Global Fact-Checking Network
The official website of the Global Fact-Checking Network (GFCN) was launched the other day, on April 8, 2025.
From now on, all users can access this global online platform that brings together experts, who debunk unauthentic information, and virtually serves as an international website formulating an honest and open approach to fact-checking and accumulates up-to-date investigations, refutations and denials.
I would like to recall that, in November 2024, Moscow hosted the second international forum Dialogue on Fakes 2.0. It was organised by the Dialogue Regions autonomous non-profit organisation with the support of the Russian Foreign Ministry and involved over 1,000 participants from 65 countries.
A presentation of the concept of the Global Fact-Checking Network became the forum’s key event. GFCN members would assume voluntary obligations under the Code of Responsible Fact-Checking. This global civic initiative responds to the never-ending influx of fake news and misinformation campaigns, and Western-backed biased pseudo-fact-checking methods.
A memorandum of intention to establish the GFCN was signed during the forum. TASS information agency became a strategic partner and participant. We would like to congratulate everyone on the final result, and all of us can see this tangible achievement.
Website versions in Russian and English are currently available. The first comments, debriefings and investigation results have already been published. Experts discuss topical issues, including the challenges and threats posed by a new wave of deep fakes. A high-profile material investigating the activities of the recently closed Voice of America radio station that acted as a powerful source of misinformation for decades was prepared ahead of launching the GFCN website. While EU representatives suggested saving and accommodating this propaganda mouthpiece, this analytical publication cites numerous examples of using deep fakes by this media outlet and all mendacious tools that we have repeatedly mentioned. US revelations virtually confirmed this. I suggest that you read this material.
The GFCN aims to coordinate the efforts of fact-checkers, to exchange information and fact-checking methods and to raise public awareness of responsible information-processing methods.
Any website user will notice that the Code of Responsible Fact-Checking occupies pride of place, in terms of GFCN concepts, and its text is posted online.
Most importantly, a registration form has been opened for submitting GFCN membership applications. Today, over 30 foreign journalists and investigative reporters from 37 countries, including Australia, Brazil, the Netherlands, Portugal, France, Spain, Nigeria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Singapore, and others, have either joined the GFCN or cooperate with it.
The GFCN aspires to open dialogue with society and users. For example, any user can join the GFCN community on the X platform, check the authenticity of publications and engage in direct dialogue with experts. Work is underway on the website and on social media networks.
I am confident that this initiative will continue to develop steadily, and that it will be supported by all truly responsible participants in global information processes, primarily from the Global Majority countries.
Today, as never before, a constructive approach based on facts, truth and a caring and honest attitude towards information is highly essential. We wish the GFCN every success. We realise that this difficult project is fair and highly important.
The most interesting thing is that, in the mid-20th century, US ruling circles decided that the number of investigative journalists was assuming threatening proportions. Consequently, the term conspiracy theorists was invented in order to marginalise them. The situation here is different. We set up platforms for real investigative reporters, so that they could interact and implement their life’s work.
Events at the UN Economic and Social Council’s Youth Forum
The World Festival of Youth held at the Sirius Federal Territory in March 2024, an event attended by over 20,000 delegates from 190 countries, revealed progress in the shaping of a proactive international youth movement committed to a just world order and the development of equitable international cooperation based on a mutually respectful partnership.
Following the Festival, the World Youth Festival Directorate, an autonomous non-profit organisation (ANO WYFD), mapped out a number of priorities for itself, such as expanding and strengthening the international youth community; preserving the Festival’s legacy; and supporting the implementation of initiatives advanced by Russian and foreign citizens and organisations directed at promoting international youth cooperation.
In order to present the best practices of the Russian youth ecosystem, the ANO WYFD planned a number of events to be held at the UN Headquarters in New York from April 14 to 18 of this year.
On April 17, the UN Headquarters will host a session, Russia as a Showcase of Leading Youth Policy Standards, held within the framework of the ECOSOC Youth Forum, with the best practices and projects in the area of youth policy to be presented by the ANO WYFD, the Federal Agency for Youth Affairs, the Foreign Ministry of Russia, specifically the Council of Young Diplomats, the Russian Znaniye Society, the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia, and the Chamber of Young Legislators under the Federation Council of the Russian Federation Federal Assembly.
The Russian delegation will include representatives of federal executive agencies, as well as heads and members of public organisations and platforms, academic and student communities, and international associations – about 30 persons in all.
A photo exhibition, In the Heart of the Polar Circle, will be held on the sidelines of the ECOSOC Youth Forum at the UN Headquarters from April 14 to 18.
The display is organised by the ANO WYFD jointly with the Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, with the assistance of the Russian Foreign Ministry and the Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the United Nations in New York. It will be dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the Russian atomic industry.
Question: In late March, Tokyo hosted a trilateral meeting of foreign ministers of China, Japan and South Korea. Beijing called on Seoul and Tokyo to promptly resume talks on a trilateral free trade area that became deadlocked six years ago. What is the Foreign Ministry’s take on prospects for strengthening trade and economic cooperation between the three states, particularly amid the mounting trade and economic pressure from the United States?
Maria Zakharova: Russia is not a member of the dialogue in this trilateral format (China-the Republic of Korea-Japan).
In this connection, we have no estimate as to the prospects for this format, including in trade and the economy, or talks on a trilateral free trade area.
That said, we welcome any efforts intended to maintain stability and facilitate economic growth and general prosperity in Northeast Asia. All of this can only be ensured through a broad involvement in this process of all countries in the region on an equitable and mutually beneficial basis, without divides or outside “advice” on how it should live.
Therefore, if this work is conducted as described above, we welcome these efforts. But let me reiterate that it is inappropriate to come up with assessments if you do not participate in a format that pursues an agenda of its own.
Question: The United States recently introduced the so-called reciprocal tariffs for all of its trading partners, imposing them on more than 180 countries and regions, including some economies recognised by the UN as least developed, and even remote islands populated only by seals and penguins.
The WTO predicts that such actions could make global trade in goods contract by about 1 percent this year. How would you comment on this? What principles and what spirit do you think would ensure a healthy global economy and global trade?
Maria Zakharova: Based on your question, I would like to ask you a counter question. No offence meant, but I would like to address everyone who is now sneering at America’s new tariffs imposed on islands populated by seals and penguins or is genuinely bewildered by this act. Where have you been all these years, if not decades, while the United States was treating fully-fledged countries with human populations as islands that are home to seals and penguins?
Unfortunately, this is the ideology professed by many representatives of the American elite – they treat people as seals and penguins, ignoring problems and tragedies, totally unaware of the devastation they cause by their illegal, illegitimate, sometimes even criminal moves, sanctions, trade wars and so on.
I could talk for hours, listing all the steps that have been taken against our country. I could say even more about the sanctions imposed on Cuba (because that went on for a longer period), or the sophisticated methods used against China. I could bring up the horrendous measures taken against Syria, which has been struggling with internal confrontation and fighting international terrorism for years, again because of the Western countries’ actions. The country faced a severe shortage of medicines, vaccines and medical equipment during the pandemic. Washington targeted Syria and its people with sanctions, restrictions and various blockade programmes. That is where we need to start. We need to analyze these actions in their entirety, not just suddenly come out of it and wonder what happened.
I have mentioned the steps Washington has been taking against the European Union, directly and indirectly, which brought the EU economy down. What was the EU thinking? They have suddenly become concerned about the tariffs. What were they thinking when US President Joe Biden said proudly and publicly that he had forced Brussels, the entire Brussels bureaucracy and each of the EU member states to impose sanctions against Russia, fully realising that Russia would respond with counter-sanctions that would harm the EU economy? Why wouldn’t anyone notice? Although many did, and the Global Majority countries brought this up, one way or another, but many continued to pretend that nothing was happening. They should have taken a broader view of the issue and realised that, as Ernest Hemingway said, the bell tolls for everyone. Not only for remote regions. When the bell tolls, one needs to ask themselves whether this might affect their country and its economy, or will in the future. This is something we have been warning about all the time.
Russia, as a major exporter and a responsible participant in the multilateral trade system, is interested in fair and open trade relations. Everyone knows what our approach is. Accordingly, our country opposes the use of any unilateral restrictions on trade, such as illegitimate sanctions, politicised decisions disguised as environmental or climate requirements and other unfair competition practices, which have a negative impact on global trade and run counter to countries’ previous voluntarily commitments as part of relevant international organisations.
We believe that basic principles such as non-discrimination, transparency and mutual consideration of interests can ensure the healthy development of the global economy.
Question: As “trade wars” continue to unfold, the United States threatened on April 7, 2025 that, if China did not lift its 34 percent tariffs on US goods from April 8, Washington would then impose 50 percent tariffs on Chinese merchandise from April 9. The United States also said that it would suspend all talks with China and would launch consultations with other concerned countries. How could you comment on these US actions with regard to China and their possible consequences?
Maria Zakharova: The White House’s latest tariff decisions violating fundamental WTO regulations show that Washington no longer feels obliged to honour the norms of international trade law.
The United States preferred unilateral tariff protectionism to the WTO’s legal procedure applied during forced tariff hikes. It appears that the United States hopes to improve conditions for American companies accessing foreign markets, to attract investment and to relocate major production facilities to the United States.
The incumbent US administration provides detailed assessments of the US economy, highlights the critical domestic situation and seeks ways to improve it. This was the motto of Donald Trump’s election campaign, and this is the priority of the incumbent White House administration. They are talking about an external debt, zero growth rates, downturn and economic uncertainty, and are therefore trying to rectify a situation, created by their predecessors in the past few decades.
In effect, the White House is using tariff barriers to force trade partners to accept US terms. I therefore believe that you have provided a sufficiently accurate definition of US tariff initiatives; you refer to them as covert economic pressure measures.
In connection with the “tariff war” between the United States and China, we would like to note that any upheavals impacting the global economy and threatening to impair its growth and to cause an all-out consumption slump negatively affect numerous global processes. Predictably, we are seriously concerned over a situation involving two main economies of the world. One of them, the People’s Republic of China, is our major long-time trade partner. We are closely following these developments, we will comprehensively analyse possible consequences, and we will, certainly take action to minimise potential losses for our country.
President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin has set a course for strengthening relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic collaboration with the People’s Republic of China, and this is reflected in an updated version of our Foreign Policy Concept of March 31, 2023. As we have repeatedly noted and confirmed, this fully concerns both countries’ efforts to expand practical cooperation in all spheres.
Question: Russia has been consistently advocating a political and diplomatic settlement of the Iranian nuclear problem. What are the details of Russia’s stance? What is Moscow proposing in terms of a political and diplomatic settlement?
Maria Zakharova: Our country has been doing everything in its power to settle the Iranian problem through political and diplomatic methods. There are many facts proving this, for example, our latest moves taken in the past few months. On March 14, 2025, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov took part in consultations on the JCPOA and the current aspects of trilateral cooperation, held in Beijing at the level of deputy foreign ministers of Russia, China and Iran. The discussions were focused above all on Iran’s nuclear programme.
An expanded joint statement was published following the Beijing meeting, where Russia, China and Iran set forth their views on the issue. On April 2, 2025, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov met with Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister for Political Affairs Majid Takht-Ravanchi. They discussed the JCPOA.
On April 8, 2025, expert consultation on that issue were held in Moscow.
Therefore, we not only have our own stance on the matter, but are also actively promoting it in various formats. Why do we describe it as a stance? The main element is its consistency, which is clear from the documents I have mentioned just now.
The international community is becoming tired of endless threats to Iran. This fatigue is also connected with failure to understand why this issue, a solution to which was found at the diplomatic level and formalised in an agreement, is being presented as a potential cause for aggression.
People are coming to see that bombing raids won’t pave a path to peace. What they want are effective solutions reached through negotiations, which would move the situation away from the dangerous line and towards a lasting and durable settlement.
What is the Russian stance based on? We have always said that Western suspicions and prejudices regarding Iran’s nuclear programme should be eliminated on the basis of international law, guided by the principle of equal and indivisible security, carefully balanced mutual respect for each other’s interests, and moving towards a solution gradually, step by step, strictly complying with the agreements reached, thereby strengthening mutual trust.
By opting to violate UN Security Council Resolution 2231, the Americans and Europeans have shown themselves as unreliable actors who do not respect agreements. This situation should be changed.
At the same time, the largest number of IAEA inspections is held in Iran. Its nuclear programme has been under close scrutiny for the past 25 years. It is not Iran’s fault that the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which had helped to fully remove all the IAEA’s concerns in a short period of time, stalled. Some even say it has lost its viability.
Tehran can’t be called to account for the consequences of the illegal actions by those whose poor judgement, faulty planning and opportunistic political manoeuvres have undermined the agreements that were regarded as a major achievement of international diplomacy and have dramatically reduced the scale of IAEA inspections in Iran.
Overall, our Western colleagues’ actions raised doubts about the sincerity of their desire to effectively find solution to these issues, or to their “package”.
We still hope that common sense will prevail and they will agree to launch a constructive and substantive discussion on the possible parameters of solutions that will help avoid a crisis.
There is a reliable foundation for this, including the schemes and models used to draft the JCPOA and the subsequent multilateral efforts to revive the nuclear deal.
Russia has made a substantial and substantive contribution to this at all levels and stages, which is generally recognised. Today, we are doing our utmost to bring about a settlement and to achieve it exclusively by political and diplomatic means.
Question: Does Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plan to discuss a Ukrainian settlement during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum? For example, will he meet with his Ukrainian counterpart if the later attends the forum?
Maria Zakharova: We are currently working on a schedule of Sergey Lavrov’s meetings on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy forum.
There will be many meetings, and the issue of Ukraine will certainly be discussed. I am sure that it will be raised at every meeting. As for plans for a special meeting on this issue, we have no information regarding this.
Question: Could Sergey Lavrov meet with the foreign minister of Ukraine?
Maria Zakharova: The Ukrainian side has not requested this.
I can tentatively say that a meeting with the foreign minister of the host country, Turkiye, is being coordinated, just like meetings with the foreign ministers of a number of other countries who will take part in the forum. Work on the minister’s schedule is ongoing. We will inform you about it in due time.
Question: How might the Trump administration’s decision to raise customs tariffs impact relations within the EAEU and the CIS? Have your colleagues shared any early assessments?
Maria Zakharova: I believe it’s still too early to draw any definitive conclusions. However, recent developments only reinforce the importance of deepening and strengthening regional integration within the EAEU and CIS. This situation serves as a strong signal to accelerate joint efforts and enhance coordination in specific areas. Concrete measures to implement this approach will be developed moving forward.
Question: In light of the worsening tensions between the United States and Iran, and the UN Secretary-General’s spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric highlighting the need for third-party mediation, could Russia – having previously expressed willingness to assist – serve as a mediator? What concrete steps is Russia prepared to take to help facilitate the negotiation process?
Maria Zakharova: First, we have consistently emphasised Moscow’s readiness to provide the necessary support in situations requiring de-escalation.
Second, we welcome any engagement that could contribute to reducing tensions surrounding Iran.
Third, I mentioned earlier in the briefing a number of efforts we have already undertaken in this direction over the past month and a half.
Question: As we understand, starting June 30, new entry rules to Russia will apply even to citizens of EAEU countries, except Belarus, requiring prior notification and getting a permission at least 72 hours before travel to Russia. Isn’t it a violation of EAEU agreements, particularly concerning the free movement of labour, and effectively a disguised introduction of a visa regime for EAEU citizens?
Maria Zakharova: First and foremost, I would like to emphasise that all migration-related measures introduced in Russia are primarily aimed at ensuring national security and maintaining public order. At the same time, they are intended to streamline and improve the relevant administrative procedures.
Regarding the experiment you mentioned, concerning the registration of foreign citizens in a unified system through a dedicated mobile application, there is absolutely no question of introducing a visa regime. As for the specific details of the experiment’s implementation, I would recommend reaching out to the relevant authority, namely the Interior Ministry of the Russian Federation.
All migration-related initiatives being developed in Russia undergo a thorough preliminary review to ensure full compliance with the country’s international obligations, including those within the framework of the EAEU.
Question: The situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border remains tense. The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry continues to circulate disinformation alleging that border areas of Armenia are being shelled by Azerbaijani forces. Many view this as part of an information campaign aimed at paving the way for a new escalation by Baku. What is your assessment of the situation?
Maria Zakharova: We are closely monitoring the developments along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, including the media reports you referenced.
We once again urge both Baku and Yerevan to show restraint and take steps to reduce tensions, refraining from any actions that could further destabilise the situation. All emerging issues must be addressed solely through peaceful, political, and diplomatic means.
For our part, we remain committed to supporting our partners in overcoming existing differences with the aim of concluding a peace treaty. We are also prepared to assist in unblocking transport and economic links, carrying out border delimitation, and addressing humanitarian concerns, based on the framework of the trilateral agreements reached by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia between 2020 and 2022.
Question: I would like to ask you again about Russia’s Consulate General in Kapan, Syunik. Is there any concrete date for its opening?
Maria Zakharova: Yes, there is a concrete date. It has many dimensions, though. Let us start with what is happening. I will certainly return to the topic of timeframes. But before that, I would like to dwell on what is basically taking place.
We are convinced that a consistent expansion of Russian presence in Armenia’s strategically important southern area meets the long-term interests of both Armenia and Russia, as well as the region as a whole.
Considering the standard tasks addressed by Russian consulates abroad, this step can give a strong impetus to cooperation in trade, investment, science, education, culture, and the humanitarian area, as well as to establishing mutually beneficial ties between this territory and Russian regions. Promoting the bilateral economic agenda in Syunik is also increasingly important in the EAEU format, given the recent ratification by Iran across the border from this Armenian region of a Free Trade Agreement with the EAEU. This aspect should also be taken into consideration. All of this will furnish a reliable guarantee towards a dynamic, peaceful, and safe development of the Syunik Region.
We are pleased to mention the useful efforts by the forward team of Russian diplomats to create conditions for establishing the Consulate General. Their multifaceted activities in Syunik meet with a favourable attitude on the part of the local population. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan held a detailed discussion of the issues related to the forward team’s operations and the establishment of the Consulate General in general at their talks in Moscow on January 21 of this year. The same topic was on the agenda of the consultations between Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin and his Armenian counterpart Mnatsakan Safaryan on March 20 of this year.
We hope to reach concrete agreements as to the date for the opening of our consulate by May of this year.
Question: Certain officials at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly are urging Russia to return to the fold under the condition – almost an ultimatum – that it pay the arrears on its fee. Russia has been absent since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine. What is your comment? Is Russia ready to resume its membership? Are these terms acceptable?
Maria Zakharova: I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the issues related to Russia’s participation in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly fall within the purview of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation.
Let me remind you that the decision to suspend Russia’s OSCE PA membership was approved by the joint Statement by the Houses of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation of July 3, 2024 that gave the full reasons for this decision. You should peruse this statement for an answer to your question. Especially since this is not quite our area of expertise.
Question: As we know, US President Donald Trump is not flexible on the issue of trade tariffs. His administration refuses to discuss the growing panic in the stock markets or the incipient recession, maintaining that everything is fine, and that whatever turbulence there is will settle down soon. Has this affected the Russian economy or our country’s interests? Or will it influence [Russia] in the foreseeable future? How?
Maria Zakharova: I have already partially answered this question.
Turbulence like this, especially on this scale, always has an impact on global trade. Considering that no such steps have been taken against Russia, as well as the White House’s explanations about the previous administration having reduced any remaining interaction between the US and Russia to a rather perverted version of trade partnership and economic relations, the impact will certainly be somewhat indirect. It still needs to be studied, and we still need to form our approaches to the situation.
Washington is not hiding that they no longer consider themselves bound by international trade laws or any obligations under the WTO. We see the pendulum swinging back and forth in the US (to put it mildly). They withdraw from supranational organisations, then re-join them, then leave again. There is nothing new about it. Perhaps they are unusually straightforward about this now, which is a novelty. They aren’t disguising this as sanctions or ideological concepts such as “maintaining the spirit of democracy” in certain parts of the world; they openly declare their intentions and follow through on them, and that’s something new. The Russian leadership has repeatedly spoken about this.
They are changing the framework to be able to secure preferences in global trade regardless of regime changes or specific personalities in the US establishment. The methods are different, but the goal is the same. They have legalised lobbyism at home; now they want to apply the tactic in various formats in global affairs, probably even more crudely than they do inside their own country.
Question: There have been negotiations and an agreement between Damascus and the autonomous administration in north and east Syria. How does Russia view these parties growing closer, and do you have any advice for them in this regard?
Maria Zakharova: We have always consistently promoted unconditional respect for Syria’s sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity. Guided by this principled approach, we welcome the agreement reached on the re-integration of the territory east of the Euphrates with the Syrian state, while upholding the legitimate rights and interests of all ethnic and religious groups living in the region. We believe that the country’s future should be determined by the Syrians themselves through a broad national dialogue and without any outside interference.
We regard the agreement reached between the Syrian government and the leaders of Syrian Democratic Forces as an important step towards restoring Syria’s unity and strengthening its security and stability. We realise that the practical implementation of the agreements reached will entail addressing outstanding issues of various kinds and considerable difficulties. It is essential that the parties remain constructive and ready to compromise. We hope that they will succeed.
Question: We have observed an initiative aimed at the PKK disarmament and resolving the Kurdish issue in Türkiye. Since Moscow is considered to have good relations with Türkiye, have you encouraged them to address these issues? What outcomes do you hope for, from this initiative?
Maria Zakharova: The Republic of Türkiye is our important neighbour and partner, so we are naturally concerned about the developments there. We believe that whatever processes are taking place in that country are its sovereign affair. We respect Ankara’s right to determine its own approaches to resolving internal political issues. Russia’s stance remains unchanged and reflects Moscow’s principled view of building fair bilateral relations.
We hope that the actions taken by the Turkish authorities will contribute to achieving ethnic accord and stabilising the security situation both in Türkiye and outside Türkiye.
Question: Tensions between Iran and the US have been intensifying, with Tehran stating that they will not reach any agreement with Washington as long as they threaten military action in the absence of an agreement. How do you view the situation between them and, from Moscow’s perspective, how could this issue be resolved?
Maria Zakharova: I have commented several times today on Iran’s nuclear programme, Iran’s relations with the international community, and the illegal pressure being exerted on Iran.
I would like to add that we should primarily emphasise that the use of military force by Iran’s adversaries to achieve their goals is illegal and unacceptable. In our view, the signals we have heard in recent days about the prospects for moving towards a diplomatic settlement warrant attention.
We note that any contacts that can lead to de-escalation of the situation can and should be welcomed.
I have commented on the steps Russia has been taking, and mentioned the number of trilateral and bilateral consultations held in the last six weeks at the level of Russian deputy foreign ministers, and at the level of experts.
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