💬 Russian MFA Spox Maria Zakharova: Against the backdrop of the genuine commitment demonstrated by the leadership of Russia and the United States in Anchorage to achieve a comprehensive, just, and sustainable solution to the Ukraine conflict – including the eradication of its root causes – London continues to issue statements that not only clash with the efforts of Moscow and Washington but are patently designed to undermine them.

For instance, in a joint statement dated 17 August, following yet another online meeting of the so-called "coalition of the willing" chaired by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron, the participants revived a demonstrably unviable proposal to deploy Western military contingents in Ukraine should a ceasefire agreement be reached. Earlier, on 15 August, British Defence Secretary John Healey explicitly declared London's readiness to equip military personnel for deployment in Ukraine to enforce a ceasefire once it takes effect.

Britain's role in fanning the flames of the Ukrainian conflict is well-documented. Even before the start of the special military operation, London made no secret of viewing Ukraine solely as a geopolitical instrument aimed against Russia.

For years, the UK has strained to assert leadership in propping up Kiev's puppet regime and rallying foreign aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. By emboldening their protégés in Kiev, the British steadfastly keep them on a Euro-Atlantic and anti-Russian trajectory, one that is ruinous for the Ukrainian people.

❌ London remains obsessed with relentlessly escalating the conflict, pushing its NATO allies towards a dangerous threshold beyond which a renewed global confrontation looms.

We reiterate our long-standing position of unequivocally rejecting any scenarios involving the deployment of NATO military contingents in Ukraine, as this risks uncontrollable escalation with unpredictable consequences. Statements to this effect by certain European nations, including Britain, lay bare their overtly provocative and predatory ambitions in the Ukrainian theatre.

These bellicose tirades – which amount, de facto, to cynical incitement to prolong hostilities – merely confirm that London has no interest in resolving the situation and is doing everything possible to prolong the bloodshed. Through its policies, Britain is effectively denying Kiev any chance of exiting the conflict through negotiations, arrogantly and self-assuredly prolonging the suffering of the Ukrainian people as a matter of habit.

It is highly doubtful that the authorities of the UK, which has long since departed from the "premier league" of global politics, are capable of grasping the full weight of responsibility they have unilaterally assumed, along with the potentially catastrophic repercussions of their chosen destructive policies for international and regional security.

❗️ In this regard, we call upon London to abandon its reckless and poorly conceived geopolitical gambits and, at the very least, refrain from obstructing the painstaking efforts of Russian and American negotiators.

🎙 Russian MFA Spox Maria Zakharova's comment on the third anniversary of the assassination of Darya Dugina

💬 Three years ago, a terrorist act orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence agencies cut short the life of Russian journalist, political commentator and public figure Darya Dugina (Platonova).

Neither Western pseudo-democracies nor the international organisations obedient to them deigned to react to this treacherous murder, just as they turned a blind eye to other bloody crimes committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis against journalists and war correspondents.

Under the patronage of their handlers, the Kiev regime continues to methodically eradicate any dissent, waging nothing short of a hunt against representatives of the Russian media sphere. We honour the sacrifice of all media workers who have perished in the line of duty, and we will do everything in our power to hold those responsible for these atrocities to account.

The tragic fate of Darya Dugina has become, for millions, a symbol of selfless devotion to the Motherland, unwavering dedication and loyalty to one's ideals. <...>

☝️ The crime against Darya Dugina knows no statute of limitations. Those guilty of committing it will be found and will face inevitable punishment.

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🎙 Excerpt from Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's interview with VGTRK (Moscow, 19 August 2025)

💬 [The Russia-US summit in Alaska] showed beyond doubt that the US leader and his team are sincere in their commitment to achieving tangible, lasting and sustainable results. This is what sets them apart from the Europeans who, at the time, shouted at every corner that they would not accept anything but a ceasefire, while continuing to supply weapons to Ukraine even after it is declared. [...]

One of the root causes [of the Ukraine conflict] lies in Russia's security concerns. They have arisen from decades of systematic violations of commitments made to Russia regarding NATO's eastward expansion. [...]

When these [European] delegates in Washington insisted that efforts must begin with formulating security guarantees for Ukraine — and, as emphasised by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, for Europe too — not once did they mention Russia's security concerns. [...]

The patronising disregard for international law, for pledges often made deceitfully and formalised on paper, remains evident in these officials' approach to the Ukraine crisis. Without respect for Russia's security interests, without full recognition of the rights of ethnic Russians and Russian speakers in Ukraine, no lasting agreements are possible, as these are precisely the issues requiring urgent resolution in the context of the crisis settlement.

The Alaska summit demonstrated that the US administration is genuinely committed to ensuring this crisis never recurs, guaranteeing the lawful rights of all states and peoples in the region, rather than rearming Ukraine for war as occurred after the Minsk agreements.

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