🎙Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at a meeting with Chairperson of the Central Election Commission Ella Pamfilova and the heads of certain Russian regions (Moscow, February 5, 2024)

💬 We have just had a useful conversation at a meeting of the Foreign Ministry Collegium on the preparations for the election of the President of the Russian Federation in our representative offices abroad.

👉 Speaking at today’s meeting of the Foreign Ministry Collegium, Ella Pamfilova described in detail the difficulties that will arise this year, and that will be mounting. They are unprecedented due to the illegitimate sanctions of the Western governments <...>.

👉 The second problem related to the same Russophobic campaign unleashed by Western governments lies in the security of our missions. There have been many attacks at our embassies and consulates general including physical attacks in one form or another.

We are paying heightened attention to the security of our diplomats. When a foreign mission opens its doors to our citizens who want to vote, the risks of a provocation increase enormously. This is why the measures that we have approved today at the Collegium meeting take these risks into account.

☝️ We would like to draw special attention to the development of our relations with Crimea (a Foreign Ministry office has been operating there for 10 years now), as well as with the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic. In August 2023, we established Foreign Ministry offices in these republics and they are already operating.

Of course, we will open our offices in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions. For the time being, their functions will be performed via our office in Simferopol. We will prepare for the opening of full offices soon.

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✍️ President Vladimir Putin sent his condolences to President of the Republic of Chile Gabriel Boric Font over the tragic aftermath of wildfires that have hit the country’s central regions.

✉️ The President of Russia asked to convey words of sympathy and support to the victims’ families and friends and wishes for a speedy recovery to all those affected by the disaster.

Официально — преступника СС в прошлом году в парламент пригласил премьер-министр Дж.Трюдо. С подачи канадско-украинской общины, которая 5 месяцев спустя по-прежнему хранит гробовое молчание, хотя знала о нацистском прошлом Гуньки. Отказ осудить=поддержать. Извинятся ли Канадско-украинский конгресс, А.Чижий, Х.Фриланд, Дж.Безан, И.Бэйкер и другие?

Now it’s official — it was PM Trudeau who invited SS criminal to the Parliament last year. As recommended by the Ukrainian Canadian community that 5 months later still dead silent though knew of Hunka’s Nazi past. No condemnation = justification. Will UCC, Alexandra Chyczij, Christya Freeland, James Bezan, Yvan Baker and others apologize?

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

🎙 Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia's remarks at UNSC briefing with regard to the UAF strike against Lisichansk (February 6, 2024)

💬 Ukrainian fighters have become so brutal and brazen that they commit terrorist attacks almost weekly, shelling civilian infrastructure and killing civilians on Russian territory.

• The actions of the Kiev regime are strikingly cruel and sophisticatedly hateful. The attack on Belgorod, the two strikes on Donetsk, and now a strike on Lisichansk took place on off days and holidays in places of mass gathering of civilians.

• Ukrainian armed forces feel total impunity and permissiveness. What’s more, they feel the unconditional support of Washington, London and Brussels, who do not care about the killings of civilians, broken families and ruined lives.

• In its blind hatred of our country and desire to weaken Russia in any way, the West is ready to pay with other people's lives and compromise universal norms of morality.

• Among recent heinous crimes of the Kiev junta is the terrorist attack of January 24 that downed the Russian military transport aircraft IL-76, which was carrying 65 Ukrainian POWs for an exchange.

• Today we have irrefutable evidence that a Patriot missile system was used in the strike, which leaves no doubt that Washington is a direct accomplice in this crime.

• Evidence of the Ukrainian armed forces' involvement in the IL-76 plane crash is so solid that even the West cannot ignore it.

• We call on the members of the Security Council and the United Nations leadership to strongly condemn the attack on Lisichansk and all other terrorist acts by the Kiev regime. The Bandera junta views your silence as a carte blanche to commit more crimes.

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⚡️ Statement by the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation on the direct responsibility of the collective West countries, which supply weapons to the Kiev regime, for the death of civilians in the Russian Federation

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💬 The Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation firmly protests against the collective West countries continuing to supply the Kiev regime with weapons, munitions and military equipment, which are being used to murder civilians and destroy civilian infrastructure in Russia.

<...>

The Ukrainian armed forces conduct these heinous actions with the use of weapons, munitions and military equipment sent to Ukraine, in part, by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, the Federal Republic of Germany, the French Republic, the Czech Republic and several other member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union.

<...>

☝️ The Federation Council hereby declares that in continuing to deliver weapons, munitions and military equipment, the countries of the collective West are becoming direct accomplices in the crimes of the Kiev regime, responsible for the death of innocent civilians, including women and children, the destruction of civilian infrastructure and gross violations of international law.

❗️ The Federation Council urges the parliaments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the United States of America, the Federal Republic of Germany, the French Republic, the Czech Republic and several other member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union to acknowledge the direct responsibility of their countries for the death of innocent civilians in the course of attacks conducted by the Ukrainian armed forces on civilian infrastructure in the Russian Federation and to take urgent measures to stop the supply of weapons, munitions and military equipment to the Kiev regime.

✍️ President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to President of the Republic of Chile Gabriel Boric Font over the tragic death of former Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.

Having been the head of state twice, Sebastian Pinera did much for the socio-economic development of your country and gained great international prestige. He made a substantial personal contribution to the development of friendly Russian-Chilean relations.

I had an opportunity to speak personally to that eminent political leader and will always cherish a fond memory of him.

The President of Russia asked his Chilean counterpart to convey words of sympathy and support to the family and friends of the diseased and to all Chileans.

🗓 On February 7, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a meeting in Moscow with the chairs of the CSTO Member States’ parliamentary committees/commissions, in charge of international relations, defence and security, as well as with the ambassadors of the CSTO Member States to the Russian Federation.

🤝 They discussed the main results of multifaceted cooperation in the CSTO, the key objectives for the future, with a focus on strengthening interparliamentary cooperation and foreign policy coordination within the framework of the organisation and its foreign ties, and exchanged views on current international and regional security issues.

🇷🇺🇦🇿📞 During their telephone conversation, President Vladimir Putin warmly congratulated President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev on his landslide victory in the early presidential election and wished him new successes during his work in this high state position.

🤝 Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed their mutual interest in further developing Russian-Azerbaijani strategic partnership and alliance and agreed to continue their personal contacts.

President Putin also sent greetings to Ilham Aliyev. The message reads, in part:

The voting results fully confirm your high political authority and demonstrate nationwide support for your line aimed at expediting the socioeconomic development of Azerbaijan and strengthening its positions on the international scene.

We attach great significance to allied relations with Baku. I am confident that we will continue our active joint work to expand fruitful bilateral cooperation in all spheres, as well as partner-like interaction in addressing topical issues on the international agenda.

This, doubtless, meets the interests of our friendly nations and helps strengthen stability and security in the South Caucasus and the Caspian region.

🇷🇺🇨🇳📞 President Vladimir Putin had an extensive telephone conversation with President of China Xi Jinping.

🎊 The President of Russia offered heartfelt greetings to the President of China and the friendly Chinese nation on the upcoming Spring Festival.

The Presidents summarised the latest results in developing the overarching Russia-China partnership and strategic cooperation. They reaffirmed that the neighbourly links between our countries are at a historically high level.

📈 They stressed, with satisfaction, that bilateral trade exceeded $200 billion a year ahead of the goal set by the leaders, reaching a record of $227.7 billion.

🤝 In the context of the 75th Anniversary of diplomatic relations between Russia and China, marked this year, the presidents expressed mutual interest in promoting cooperation across all areas, including energy, finance, infrastructure, transport, industrial production, agriculture, humanitarian and sport exchanges.

Both Parties expressed willingness to advance coordination in foreign policy within the framework of various multilateral bodies such as the #UN, #BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. Xi Jinping supported the priorities of the Russian BRICS Chairmanship.

🌐  President Putin and President Xi had a detailed exchange on the situation in several regions, including the Middle East, where both Russia and China support a political and diplomatic settlement of the Palestinian problem within the generally recognised framework of international law. When discussing the state of affairs in the Asia-Pacific Region, President Putin confirmed Russia’s principled stance on Taiwan, which is support for the One-China policy. The presidents also covered the current situation in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping specifically stressed that close Russia-China interaction is an important stabilising factor in world affairs.

The Leaders agreed to continue one-on-one contact.

#RussiaChina

📰 Статья Чрезвычайного и Полномочного Посла Российской Федерации в Канаде О.В.Степанова ко Дню дипломатического работника «О нашем празднике» (9 февраля 2024 года)

💬 Россия и её дипломаты испокон веков руководствовались принципами справедливости, человеколюбия и милосердия, заботы о гармоничном сосуществовании стран и народов. Именно ради достижения этих целей мы не раз выступали с объединяющими предложениями, призванными упрочить международный мир, безопасность и стабильность.

Россия всегда содействовала урегулированию кризисов и конфликтов на планете на основе принципа справедливости.

🌐 Справедливость сегодня – это становление многополярного мироустройства. Это главная задача для наших дипломатов.

Всегда выступали и продолжаем выступать за суверенное равенство государств, больших и малых. Убеждены, что на мировой арене голоса всех и каждого равны и должны быть услышаны. Не может и не должно быть монополии на управление международными структурами, их приватизации в чьих-то узкокорыстных целях.

Запад делает сегодня многое, чтобы исковеркать прошлое, подвергнуть ревизии судьбоносные решения и факты, на которых зиждется нынешний миропорядок. Поэтому одна из главных задач российской дипломатии, помимо обеспечения благоприятных условий для развития нашей страны, – это сохранение исторической правды.

🙏 Для дипломатического сообщества России праздник 10 февраля – повод еще раз отдать дань уважения предыдущим поколениям дипслужбы, подвижникам, на которых мы равняемся. Восхищаемся и вдохновляемся их самоотверженностью и преданностью Родине.

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#ДДР2024

🤝 On February 8, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a working meeting with President of the Republic of Abkhazia Aslan Bzhania.

The Parties discussed current aspects of interaction between Moscow and Sukhum in various areas, as well as foreign policy coordination between the two countries. The mutual commitment to further strengthen Russian-Abkhaz relations in the spirit of alliance and strategic partnership was confirmed.

🎉 Aslan Bzhania congratulated Sergey Lavrov and the entire team at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on the upcoming Diplomatic Worker’s Day.

#RussiaAbkhazia

🗓 On February 8, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met with Secretary General of the Conference on Interaction and Confidence-Building Measures in Asia (CICA) Kairat Sarybay, who was on a working visit in Moscow.

The Sides discussed current issues of the association's activities and the prospects for its development.

☝️ Sergey Lavrov emphasised Russia's focus on further work within the CICA platform and constructive participation in the ongoing discussion on transforming the conference into a key element in the system of security and stability in Eurasia.

In the course of separate consultations with Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs Andrey Rudenko, Mr. Sarybay discussed in detail the practical aspects of Russia's work within the CICA platform.

⚡️ President Vladimir Putin answered questions from Tucker Carlson, a journalist and founder of Tucker Carlson Network.

Key talking points:

💬 After 1991, when Russia expected that it would be welcomed into the brotherly family of ”civilized nations,“ nothing like this happened. You tricked us (I'm talking about the US), the promise was that NATO would not expand eastward, but it happened five times, there were five waves of expansion.

• I proposed that the US, Russia and Europe jointly create a missile defense system that, we believe, if created unilaterally, threatens our security. <...> In the end they just told us to get lost. Our proposal was declined, that’s a fact.

• In 2008 the doors of NATO were opened for Ukraine. In 2014, there was a coup, they started persecuting those who did not accept the coup, and it was indeed a coup, they created a threat to Crimea which we had to take under our protection. They launched a war in Donbass in 2014 with the use of aircraft and artillery against civilians. This is when it started.

❗️ And what triggered the latest events? Firstly, the current Ukrainian leadership declared that it would not implement the Minsk Agreements. <...> A year or a year and a half ago, former leaders of Germany and France said openly to the whole world that they indeed signed the Minsk Agreements but they never intended to implement them. They simply led us by the nose.

•After we withdrew our troops from Kiev, the other side (Ukraine) threw away all these agreements and obeyed the instructions of Western countries, European countries and the US to fight Russia to the bitter end.

❓ Wouldn't it be better to negotiate with Russia? Make an agreement, already understanding the situation that is developing today, realizing that Russia will fight for its interests to the end. And, realizing this, actually return to common sense, start respecting our country and its interests and look for certain solutions. It seems to me that this is much smarter and more rational.

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🎙 Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Moscow, February 7, 2024)

🔹 FM Sergey Lavrov’s schedule
🔹 Foreign Ministry’s preparations for holding the Presidential election abroad
🔹 Ukrainian crisis
🔹 Terrorist attacks of the Kiev regime
🔹 Decision by the Swedish authorities to close the investigation into the bombing of the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines
🔹 Situation in Moldova
🔹 The summoning of the Russian Ambassador to the French Foreign Ministry
🔹 US website YouTube bans accounts of regional media
🔹 Increase in Norwegian-US military cooperation
🔹 Death penalty in the US

📰 Read in full
📺 Watch

***

#Election2024

• Ensuring security at the polling stations, with most of them located within the grounds of our foreign missions, will be one of our main priorities during the upcoming election.

• Russian embassies and consulates have witnessed a stark deterioration in terms of their security lately, which raises the most serious concerns. This is largely attributable to efforts by unfriendly regimes.

• Obviously, there will be a much greater risk of provocations during the voting abroad to elect the President of Russia, but we will take this factor into account when planning our security arrangements to enable Russians to cast their ballots in all freedom. Our diplomats are doing everything they can towards this.

#Ukraine

• Zelensky’s criminal regime continues to conduct inhuman terrorist attacks with the use of Western weapons. It recently waged increasingly more barbaric attacks on Russian cities during weekends or holidays. The Banderites target exclusively civilian objects such as outdoor markets, stores, pharmacies and medical and social facilities.

• On February 1, 2024, the leaders of EU countries grudgingly agreed to allocate 50 billion euros to Ukraine in 2024-2027. <...> Most of these funds will be spent on weapons. Regrettably, there is no doubt that these weapons will be used by the Ukrainian military to attack residential districts and kill innocent civilians.

#InMemoriam

Ahead of the #DiplomatsDay (celebrated on February 10), we cherish the memory of Alexander Gorchakov, an outstanding Russian diplomat and statesman who served as the last Chancellor of the Russian Empire.

🗓 When he was appointed head of the Foreign Ministry of the Russian Empire in 1856, Gorchakov devoted his efforts to changing the conditions of the Treaty of Paris, which sealed the outcome of the Crimean War. His goal was to revoke the neutral status of the Black Sea and to regain control of Bessarabia.

✍️ On August 21, 1856, Gorchakov dispatched a directive outlining new foreign policy objectives to all Russian embassies. It contained a phrase that resonated throughout Europe: “Some say that Russia is angry. No, Russia is not angry, Russia is concentrating.” This phrase conveyed Russia’s decision to refrain from becoming actively involved in European affairs to restore order at home. Another element of the new policy was that Russia would no longer sacrifice its interests to please anyone.

Gorchakov’s diplomatic skills prevented Austria from joining the Franco-Prussian war, which ensured Prussia’s victory over France. This allowed Russia to stop implementing the Paris Treaty articles that limited its sovereignty in the Black Sea and to encourage other countries to recognise this new state of affairs at the international conference in London in 1871.

👉 Thanks to Gorchakov’s efforts, the international situation underwent a transformation, enabling Russia to launch reforms that resulted in a huge economic leap in the last 30 years of the XIX century.

Gorchakov’s principle of prioritising national interests in foreign policy remains relevant in Russian diplomacy. Alexander Gorchakov is respected as a bright example of competence, dedication and service to the Fatherland.

☝️ An outstanding statesman & a brilliant politician, Alexander Gorchakov believed that diplomacy must not divide nations but bring them closer together and promote their interaction based on common interests.