🎙 President Vladimir Putin answered questions from journalist Pavel Zarubin (February 14, 2024)

Key talking points:

❗️ We have been constantly deceived about NATO’s non-expansion to the east. NATO proceeded to expand five times, completely deceiving us.

🔹 We did not initiate this war; rather, we are striving to end it. During the first phase, we tried to achieve this through peaceful means, specifically, through the Minsk agreements. However, it became apparent that we had been given the runaround once again. Both the former German Chancellor and the former President of France admitted and publicly stated that they had never intended to honour the agreements.

🔹 German Foreign Minister and people like her, are, of course, hostile towards Russia. In my opinion, she is also hostile towards her own country because it is hard to imagine such a high-ranking politician treating the economic interests of her country and people with such disdain.

🔹 Exceptionalism of certain nations, as compared to others, is found in many countries these days. This is how Nazism started. Now that this has become so widespread, it would be appropriate to conduct this anti-fascist and anti-Nazi propaganda and work at the same global level.

🔹 I believe that there is absolutely no point in NATO. Its only purpose is to serve as a tool of US foreign policy. If the United States considers this tool no longer necessary, that is their decision.

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🎙Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the presentation of the collection of documents titled Crimea in Russia’s Development: History, Politics, Diplomacy. Documents from the Foreign Ministry Archives, Moscow (February 15, 2024)

💬 This publication has been released for the tenth Anniversary of Crimea’s reunification with Russia, which we will celebrate next month.

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In his famous Crimean Speech of March 18, 2014, President Vladimir Putin said: “We could not leave this plea unheeded; we could not abandon Crimea and its residents in distress. This would have been betrayal on our part.”

The way the dramatic events have been unfolding in Ukraine demonstrates that reunification with Russia was the only right and possible option for the people of Crimea. Taking this step was consistent with the historical logic of events and the fundamental interests of the people living on this Russian peninsula.

This is the message conveyed by the collection we are presenting today. In particular, it offers unique and convincing documentary evidence demonstrating the unbreakable bond linking Crimea’s destiny to Russia.

📜 The documents in this book include treaties, declarations, diplomatic messages, letters and telegrams. <...> This covers a historical era of over 200 years, marked by momentous accomplishments, including:

• the steady expansion of Russian influence over the peninsula,
• Crimea’s accession to the Russian Empire,
• the construction of new cities there,
• the emergence of the Black Sea fleet,
• the heroic defence of Sevastopol,
• the establishment of the Crimean Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic as part of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic.

🇷🇺 Today, Russia is making great efforts to revive the love for Russian history and preserve the truth about its great past. This collection contains original documents from the Foreign Ministry Archives and seeks to make a constructive and useful contribution to these important efforts.

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🎙 Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Moscow, February 14, 2024)

🔹 FM Sergey Lavrov’s schedule
🔹 MFA’s preparations for holding the Presidential election abroad
🔹 Ukrainian crisis
🔹 Moldova
🔹 Attacks on Russian Orthodox Church congregations in Denmark
🔹 Promoting A.Hitler’s legacy in Germany
🔹 Recognising the genocide of the Soviet peoples during the Great Patriotic War
🔹 The collective West’s neo-colonial policy towards Bosnia and Herzegovina
🔹 Lack of reaction from the OSCE to discrimination against Russian and the Russian-speaking population in the Baltic States

📰 Read in full
📺 Watch

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#Ukraine

The West continues to overlook the terrorist actions of the Kiev junta, turning a blind eye to all their criminal activities and the threats to commit them. Ukrainian Minister for Digital Transformation, Mikhail Fyodorov, attracted attention by making a brigandish statement that resembled the rhetoric of Al-Qaeda and ISIS (organisations that are banned and globally recognised as terrorist). He went as far as promising major explosions throughout Russia.

There should be no illusions that the Kiev regime will escape accountability for such statements and malevolent actions.

#BosniaAndHerzegovina

They [illegal actions by the Western parties’ multilateral efforts] are guided by a Less Dayton – More Brussels motto, and acting in gross violation of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s constitutional provisions, which guarantee equality for the three state-forming peoples and the country’s two entities. They are pressuring the country into accepting a Western neo-liberal pseudo-civilian social model while failing to take into account the historical, political, cultural, religious and administrative factors that have defined the way the state in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been developing.

❗️ They are open about imposing their priorities on sovereign Bosnia and Herzegovina, leaving it no option other than to follow the EU and NATO in their policies while sacrificing ties with third parties.

📰 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with the Brazilian newspaper O Globo (February 21, 2024)

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#G20

It became clear that relying on just one centre of economic power is not a viable approach and most recently the G20 has engaged in a dialogue to reform and to restore the functionality of global economic institutions.

The positive dynamics of this forum are largely attributable to the fact that emerging markets are acting independently and insisting on fair consideration of their interests.

☝️ It is important for the G20 countries to commit to not weaponise the economy and to not engage in unfair competition.

#BRICS

🌐 Strengthening the potential and role of BRICS in international affairs is our priority.

BRICS members represent different economic and political systems, religions, and macro-regions and are able to work together as equal partners. Its international standing is steadily growing.

#Ukraine

❗️The root causes of the Ukraine crisis need to be eliminated if we want to achieve a sustainable and fair settlement. The West must stop supplying weapons to Ukraine, and Kiev must stop hostilities.

Ukraine should reinstate its neutral, non-aligned, and non-nuclear status and ensure the rights and freedoms of its citizens. It is critical that the basis be the new territorial realities and the situation on the ground.

#RussiaUS

👉 The ruling elite of the US views Russia as an adversary and a threat regardless of its party affiliation. The former president did nothing to improve Russia-US relations during his four-year stint in the White House.

We have no illusions and do not expect the anti-Russian course of the US to change in the foreseeable future. We are prepared to work with any leader who wins the American people’s trust. What matters to us is not specific political figures, but their policies towards Russia. President Putin made that clear recently in his televised interview.

🇷🇺🇺🇳 Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN:

🎙 Explanation of vote by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia during UNSC voting on the situation in Gaza (February 20, 2024)

Before the vote on the Algerian draft:

💬 On October 16, 2023, when Russia proposed the very first draft resolution calling for a ceasefire, the number of Palestinian casualties was about 1,000. At that time, the Western delegations in the Council chose to abstain en masse in order not to incur the wrath of Washington.

❗️More than 28,000 deaths that occurred since then were the price of that first shameful inaction, the collective irresponsibility of Western delegations to the Security Council, whose NATO solidarity outweighs any national declarations of commitment to international humanitarian law and the protection of civilians and humanitarian personnel.

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On behalf of the Arab Group, the delegation of Algeria proposed a solid, well-balanced draft resolution centered around the long-awaited ceasefire. <…> However, the US delegation issued an ultimatum from the outset, demanding that work on the document be halted.

👉 I call on the members of the Council to demonstrate solidarity in confronting the arbitrariness of Washington, who is ready to make any sacrifice in any region in pursuit of its geopolitical ambitions.

Remarks following the vote:

💬 Today we have seen yet another black page in the history of the UN Security Council. It was written again by the US delegation, whose goal remains unchanged – to cover for its closest Middle Eastern ally and drag out time for as long as possible so that it can complete its inhumane plans for Gaza, namely to expel the Palestinians from the Strip and completely "clean up" the enclave, literally turning it into an uninhabited land.

<…>

☝️ However bitter the "aftertaste" of today's vote may be, we are in no mood to give up. The UNSC's demand to the parties for an immediate ceasefire remains an imperative. Without it, any "product" of the Council will be meaningless.

#InMemoryOfDiplomats

📅 Today outstanding Russian diplomat Vitaly Churkin would have turned 72.

He devoted his life to defending our country’s interests on the global stage, navigating a storied career path from the translation department of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs to Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation. Over the years, he headed our country’s diplomatic missions in Chile, Belgium and Canada. He successfully conducted challenging negotiations within the Arctic Council on cooperation in the Arctic.

🎙In 1991-92, Vitaly Churkin served as Head of the Information Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, then the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. He pioneered the practice of conducting regular open briefings for foreign journalists, marking a historic milestone in Russian diplomatic communication.

As a special Presidential representative in the Balkans, Churkin made a significant contribution to the settlement of conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. Notably, he served as a mediator in negotiations that stopped the NATO airstrikes and proposed the deployment of Russian military units to Sarajevo, which later formed a UN battalion.

🇺🇳The high point of Churkin’s diplomatic career was his tenure as Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, a post he held for 11 years. Renowned for his extensive knowledge and adept humour, Churkin fostered and sustained good relations with his colleagues from other countries.

✍️ Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in his foreword to Vitaly Churkin’s memoirs, Lost in Translation: Vitaly Churkin was respected even by those foreign partners who did not always share Russia’s approaches to the key problems of our time. For example, one US Ambassador to the United Nations referred to him as “formidable as a foe, caring as a friend and fierce as a defender of Russia, the country he adored and strived to make proud.”

🗓 February 22 marks the 10th anniversary of the unconstitutional coup d'etat in Ukraine — an event, which led to an armed civil conflict, essentially a war waged by the Kiev regime against its own people, and a deepest crisis of international and European security since World War II.

10 years have passed since the tragic and horrible events of February 2014. The residing "authorities" in Kiev, aka the Kiev regime, and their Western sponsors are, as per their usual m.o., are attempting to distort the truth, conceal true facts, and turn the timeline of those events, their substance upside down.

❗️ But the truth is stubborn; it tends to get revealed sooner or later.

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On the origins of Ukrainian nationalism, the crimes of the OUN-UPA, and the support of the West

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The most horrific events unfolded on 20 February: the still unidentified snipers began shooting on the Institutskaya Street in the centre of Kiev at both law enforcement and protesters. Euromaidan supporters and Western politicians, seized "the opportunity", blamed the legitimate authorities of Ukraine. No evidence of Yanukovich's involvement was provided, and there is none to this day. Unlike, the Maidan activists & the opposition who benefited the most and was seen smuggling weapons into the area <...>

On 21 February, in an attempt to avoid further bloodshed, Yanukovych signed an Agreement on the Settlement of the Political Crisis in Ukraine with the opposition (from the opposition's side — Vitali Klitschko (UDAR party), Arseniy Yatsenyuk ("Fatherland"), and Oleg Tyagnybok ("Freedom")), which was supported and guaranteed by the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Poland. This document envisaged the creation of a government of national trust, constitutional reform, and the organization of early presidential elections. None of the Agreement's provisions were implemented.

The next day, on February 22, the Supreme Council passed a resolution on Viktor Yanukovych's "self-removal" from performing the duties of the President of Ukraine, thereby usurping power (although he remained a legitimate president, remained in Ukraine and had made no statements regarding resignation). It was then announced that the "government of the victors (winner)" would be formed. The West turned a blind eye to all violations and hurried to declare a "change of power" in Ukraine, openly encouraging the putschists to pursue their anti-Russian policy. What ensued was basically a hunt for the remaining law enforcement officers and officials loyal to their oath and the country. <...> The very next day, the very first decision of the new "government" through the Verkhovnaya Rada was to revoke the law on the status of the Russian language, which according to data was back then the mother tongue of the majority (!) of the Ukrainian citizens.

<...>

The "mediation" meddling of the West led to a sharp polarisation of Ukrainian society, which created the preconditions for an armed civil conflict. The first legislative steps of the "Maidan victors" — the abovementioned cancellation of the language law — were received with alarm in South-Eastern Ukraine, where spontaneous formation of popular militia forces began. Kiev immediately accused all the inhabitants of the region of "state treason" and "terrorism", threw the army and neo-Nazi punitive battalions to violently suppress the protests.

<...>

‼️ "Euromaidan" created a deep rift in Ukrainian society, lead to persecution, fight against dissent, spread of nationalism and neo-Nazism, legal lawlessness and nihilism, fighting the Russian language and own history, complete degradation of the socio-economic situation in the country.

The terror and horror brought by the Ukrainian neo-Nazis and nationalists in 2014 must be brought to an end. Denazification and demilitarisation will be achieved.

📖 Read more about these tragic events of 2014 in our article.

📄 Foreign Ministry Spox Maria Zakharova's comment on the crisis in Ukraine

Today marks 10 years since the events of the so-called Euromaidan that led to the unconstitutional coup d'etat in Ukraine.

Since 2014, under the supervision and with the direct guidance by the advisors from NATO & Western powers, Ukraine was transformed into an anti-Russian country at an accelerating pace.

The de-Russification and Ukrainization of the nations' cultural code was forced upon living in Ukraine, they were brainwashed, in effect re-educated in the spirit of hatred and hostility towards Russia and Russians, the memory of the common past awas all but erased, replaced by neo-Nazi sentiments.

Even the relatively recent 2014 events have been rewritten and retold by those in power in Kiev and their puppet masters in the West, facts were tossed away, truth twisted or omitted, the entire sequence of events turned upside down.

📺 Watch our brief video-journey, to jog your memory regarding the 2013-14 Euromaidan timeline and facts.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the G20 Ministerial Meeting on reforming global governance (Rio de Janeiro, February 22, 2024)

Key points:

🔹 The forming of a fair multipolar world order without a definite centre and periphery has become much more intensive in the past few years. Asian, African and Latin American countries are becoming important parts of the global economy. Not infrequently, they are setting the tone and the dynamics.

🔹 In 2023, the BRICS countries’ share in world GDP, in purchasing power parity, grew to 35 percent, exceeding the G7’s share of 30.3 percent.

🔹 Many Western economies, especially in Europe, are actually stagnating against this background. These statistics are from Western-supervised institutions – the IMF, the World Bank and the OECD.

🔹 These institutions are becoming relics from the past. Western domination is already affecting their ability to meet the requirements of the times. Meanwhile, it is perfectly obvious today that the current problems of humanity can only be resolved through a concerted effort and with due consideration for the interests of the Global South and, generally, all global economic realities.

❗️ Institutions like the IMF, the World Bank, the EBRD, and the EIB are prioritising Kiev’s military and other needs. The West allocated over $250 billion to tide over its underling thus creating funding shortages in other parts of the world. Ukraine is taking up the bulk of the funds, relegating Africa and other regions of the Global South to rationing.

🔹 Countries that have discredited themselves by using unlawful acts ranging from unilateral sanctions and the seizure of sovereign assets and private property to blockades, embargoes, and discrimination against economic operators based on nationality to settle scores with their geopolitical opponents cannot be considered guarantors of financial stability.

🔹 Without a doubt, new institutions that focus on consensus and mutual benefit are needed to democratise the global economic governance system. Today, we are seeing positive dynamics for strengthening various alliances, including BRICS, the SCO, ASEAN, the African Union, LAS, CELAC, and the EAEU.

🔹 This year, Russia chairs BRICS, which saw several new members join it. We will do our best to reinforce the potential of this association and its ties with the G20.

🇺🇳 Considering that 6 out of 15 UN Security Council members represent the Western bloc, we will support the expansion of this body solely through the accession of countries from Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

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🎙 Russia's President Vladimir Putin's greetings on Defender of the Fatherland Day 🇷🇺

February 23, 2024

💬 Comrades, friends,

I congratulate veterans, active military and civilian personnel of the Armed Forces and all who have served in the military on Defender of the Fatherland Day.

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On this holiday, we pay our deepest respects to our heroic fathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers who crushed Nazism, we take out the military orders and medals, photographs and letters from frontline soldiers, say a heartfelt thank you and warmly embrace our dear veterans. We will always remember that it was the Soviet people who defended the freedom of Russia, all of Europe and the entire world.

Russian soldiers and officers are honourably carrying on these glorious military traditions. Today it is the participants of the special military operation who are on the frontlines. You fight for truth and justice; you show courage and valour in defence of Russia. You are true national heroes. We are proud of you, we admire your courage, we honour your exploits. We know it is difficult for you, and we will do everything possible to help you complete the mission you have been assigned. Thank you for valiantly performing your military duty, and for your faithful and selfless service to the Fatherland.

There are many alarming challenges and risks in the modern world, but the powerful capabilities and combat readiness of our army and navy guarantee Russia’s security and its free, sovereign development.

Incorporating our real combat experience, we will continue to strengthen the Armed Forces in every possible way, including ongoing re-equipping and modernisation efforts.

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