🎙 Statement by Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Briefing on the Humanitarian Situation in the Gaza Strip Crisis (New York, July 16, 2025)

💬 Vassily Nebenzia: With each passing day, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is hitting new grim records.

⚠️ Despite all the active efforts by humanitarian agencies, which enjoy virtually unanimous support from UNSC members, the humanitarian aid – which essentially is something that all residents of the enclave heavily depend on – is being provided in extremely limited quantities, which are clearly not commensurate with the scale of the disaster. <...>

The ongoing ground operations by the Israel Defense Forces and artillery shelling throughout the Gaza Strip are creating truly intolerable conditions for the civilian population. We strongly condemn the attacks that have killed and injured civilians.

Of particular concern is the consistent and clear nature of the strikes, which are targeting locations where people congregate to get food, including distribution centers. <...>

We note with particular concern the increasing number of casualties near centers related to “The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF),” which – as many of us warned in this chamber – turned out to be a mechanism that, instead of addressing humanitarian needs, is increasingly becoming a symbol of both the humiliation of human dignity and threats to the lives of those in need of assistance.

❗️ Hundreds of Palestinians killed while trying to get help are a grim reminder of this. The way this system works may pose danger to those seeking help and is morally unacceptable.

We're sure that the UN Secretariat made the right and responsible decision not to be part of this punitive action which is carried out under the guise of a humanitarian operation. <...>

Unfortunately, Israel and the US appear to continue to believe that this is an effective mechanism – they are bragging about the millions of food parcels that have been allegedly handed to civilians rather than to Hamas.

👉 These claims are controversial, to say the least, and are not borne out by what is going on the ground. One thing is clear: if Israel had facilitated rather than impeded UN humanitarian aid deliveries, there would have been at least a glimmer of hope that the humanitarian crisis could be alleviated. <...>

We have all reiterated on numerous occasions in this Chamber that as long as the military operation by the IDF is ongoing, it would be impossible to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access to all those in need in the enclave. Furthermore, it is clear to all of us that rescuing the hostages held in Gaza through the use of force has proven ineffective.

In this regard, we would like to once again call on the parties to swiftly reach a ceasefire agreement, with the assistance of mediators, which would lead to the release and exchange of all forcibly detained persons.

At the same time, in order for the Israeli authorities to finally lift the blockade of the sector, Washington must renounce its unconditional support for Jerusalem, stop covering up its violations of international humanitarian law, and use its leverage to stabilize the situation.

☝️ We are convinced that there is no alternative to this scenario, nor can there be one.

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⚡️ The situation in the Syrian Arab Republic has deteriorated dramatically in the past few days.

On July 13, armed clashes flared up between units of a Druze community and Bedouin tribes in the Suwayda Governorate, southern Syria. Following this, the Syrian Defence and Interior Ministries deployed their military units in the governorate’s administrative centre. Dozens of people, including civilians, were killed during heavy armed clashes involving law enforcement agencies and local paramilitary units. Ceasefire agreements were reportedly announced on July 16.

These developments were accompanied by intensive Israeli air strikes on Syrian territory; according to the Israeli side, the strikes aimed to protect Syria’s Druze community. The southern region and the Syrian capital were also hit. The strikes targeted government agencies, including buildings of the Defence Ministry and the Presidential Palace in Damascus.

❗️ Fatalities are reported, and many people have been injured.

A new spiral of violence in Syria evokes deep concern. The Russian Side is particularly alarmed in connection with unacceptable brutal attacks on civilians. We assume that encroachments on the life and safety of civilians are unacceptable. Moscow hopes that the implementation of planned de-escalation measures will help scale down tensions and reliably stabilise the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic. We are convinced that this objective can be accomplished through dialogue, by strengthening national accord and respecting the rights of all representatives and communities of the multi-denominational Syrian society.

☝️ The Russian Side has repeatedly assessed Israel’s arbitrary military operations in Syria. These attacks flagrantly violate the sovereignty of the country and the norms of international law and should be resolutely condemned.

Moscow reaffirms its consistent position regarding the need to respect the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic.

According to incoming reports, no Russian citizens were harmed during armed clashes and air strikes. Guaranteeing the safety of all Russian citizens remains a top priority.

#InMemoriam

📆 July 18, 1909, is the birthday of Andrey Gromyko, a statesman and politician, an outstanding Soviet diplomat and Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union (1957-1985).

Born in the village of Starye Gromyki in Byelorussia, he rose from a researcher to the foreign minister of a great power.

In 1936, Andrey Gromyko defended a PhD thesis on the economy of agriculture in the United States and was promoted to senior research fellow at the Institute of Economics of the Soviet Academy of Sciences.

The diligent and hard-working researcher did not go unnoticed. He was appointed head of the Department of the Americas at the People’s Commissariat (Ministry) of Foreign Affairs in 1939 and later promoted to counsellor at the Soviet Embassy in the United States. In 1943, he assumed the post of Soviet Ambassador to Washington while simultaneously representing the Soviet Union in Cuba.

✍️ In 1945, Andrey Gromyko signed the UN Charter on behalf of the Soviet Union, and in 1946 he was appointed the country’s first permanent representative to the UN.

Gromyko became the foreign minister of the Soviet Union in 1957 and held that post for 28 years. He helped prevent many global conflicts during the period of ideological confrontation and tensions between NATO and the Warsaw Treaty Organisation. He promoted the normalisation of relations with the United States and the West in general, as well as disarmament, the fixation of post-war borders in Europe, and détente.

❌ As Soviet foreign minister, Andrey Gromyko became known in the West as Mr Nyet (Mr No) for his firm stance when it came to issues of fundamental significance for national interests. This is what he had to say about that:

They heard my ‘Nyet’ much more rarely than I did their ‘No’ because we advanced many more proposals.

The most significant achievements of Soviet diplomacy reached during his tenure as the country’s foreign policy chief include:

▪️ Treaty Banning Nuclear Weapon Tests (1963)
▪️ Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (1968)
▪️ Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty (1972), SALT I (1973) and SALT II treaties (1979)

During the Cuban missile crisis in 1962, Andrey Gromyko contributed to reaching a compromise and preventing a war. He took part in the Arab-Israeli talks in Geneva (1973) mediated by the Soviet Union and the United States, and helped prevent a large-scale war between India and Pakistan (1966).

Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov about Andrey Gromyko:

Andrey Gromyko firmly upheld national interests, helped strengthen the country’s prestige and contributed to the development of the post-war world order.

☝️ Andrey Gromyko was one of the world’s most highly respected diplomats in the 20th century and a symbol of Soviet foreign policy. His legacy continues to uphold the high prestige of Russian diplomacy to this day.

📰 Article by Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova 'neocolon-AI-lism' for 'Rossiyskaya Gazeta' newspaper (July 17, 2025)

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✍️ At the beginning of July, the Russian MFA Collegium held a regular meeting on information and communication technologies, specifically the new challenges posed by artificial intelligence. It marked the launch of a substantive intra-ministry debate and the ministry’s adaptation to addressing AI-related challenges within the international dimension of this vast topic.

<...>

As a key driver of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, AI has been shaping a new economic, socio-cultural, and political system right before our eyes.

These changes are particularly evident in the industrial, financial, and economic spheres across nations – yet the explosive development of machine learning is increasingly acquiring a political dimension. To establish the appropriate semantic framework for this “underside” of digitalisation, we must first outline the ideological coordinates adopted by certain geopolitical players advancing artificial intelligence.

👉 That framework is neocolonialist thinking.

When combined with AI, neocolonialism takes on a truly global, technologically sophisticated dimension.

Beyond the traditional dominance of the so-called “golden billion,” the rest of the world now faces novel mechanisms of dependency – more subtle than classical colonial subjugation, yet far more pervasive and enduring. Developing nations are no longer merely reliant on imported hardware or software; they are increasingly subjected to algorithmic governance, which dictates critical processes – from logistics to education, from healthcare to the shaping of public opinion.

AI is not only and not so much becoming an instrument of progress as a form of pressure and a driving force of global competition, including for people’s hearts and souls and their way of life, as well as a means of redistributing power in the world.

<...>

❗️ The principal resource required to sustain the expansion of production and the increasingly pervasive application of artificial intelligence standards is rare-earth metals – fossil elements with critically limited reserves. These very materials now lie at the heart of the trade wars between the principal suppliers of AI solutions on the global market.

The political elites of Western nations – the majority of which lack domestic deposits of such substances – seek to secure unrestricted access to extraction sites located in the states comprising the World Majority. In pursuit of this goal, they resort to aggressive neo-colonial policies.

<...>

Another component of the nascent neo-colonial order has emerged in the form of the environmental and ideological platform. For themselves, the collective West has engineered a universal system of economic permissiveness. Simultaneously, they assert that any economic development undertaken by the so-called “non-chosen” countries must rigidly conform to the West’s green standards.

This deliberate “management” of:

a) digitalisation,
b) AI implementation, and
c) the green agenda

has propelled the AI sector into a phase of revolutionary progress.

☝️ The trajectory of humanity’s evolutionary vector has revealed itself with clarity. The assertions made by Russian President Vladimir Putin have gained in credibility – namely, that the state which commands leadership in the production of such technologies will attain global supremacy, and that their deployment marks the commencement of a new chapter in human existence.

<...>

These rapidly evolving processes, unfolding across numerous multilateral platforms and forums, are unmistakable indicators of the intensifying global race for leadership in this sphere. They demand the unremitting attention and active engagement of the state – including the Russian MFA.

❗️ Ultimately, building a fair multipolar world is intrinsically dependent upon our capacity to thwart attempts at resurrecting neo-colonial exploitation and inequality in digital form.

⚡Comment by the Russian Permanent Mission to the EU regarding the EU’s Adoption of the 18th “Package” of the So-Called Anti-Russian “Sanctions”, 18 July 2025

The European Union has forced through yet another, 18th package of illegitimate restrictive measures. This is not merely a figure of speech in this case, but rather an accurate reflection of the exhausting process that the EU Member States subject themselves to again and again in the futile hope of delivering a “crushing blow” to the Russian economy. Once again, we must state that all such efforts are doomed to fail from the outset. They will not only have any expected effect, but will also continue to worsen the already dire state of the EU’s own economy.

☝️In this regard, it is particularly noteworthy that amid prolonged stagnation and acute budgetary problems, the experts are now speaking of a real threat of bankruptcy of France, the EU’s second largest economy. The levels of public debt and budget deficits are critically high in several other Member States too.

The newly introduced restrictions on imports from third countries of oil products made from Russian oil will inevitably lead to higher fuel prices in the EU market. This will further reduce the competitiveness of the European economy. Another absurd example is imposing the EU sanctions on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, that were blown up in September 2022, after the EU obediently “swallowed” this unprecedented act of sabotage and tried to sweep its investigation under the carpet.

It is worth noting that funding for these projects was provided by major European companies as their shareholders, something that clearly does not bother the EU bureaucrats. Moreover, the pipelines currently cannot be operated, and the only remaining line of Nord Stream 2 does not even have the necessary approval of the regulator. This adds a particularly cynical dimension to the above sanctions.

❗It is in the EU’s own interest to abandon its confrontational course, that is backfiring on itself, to acknowledge the existing realities and the root causes of the Ukrainian crisis, while the responsibility for unleashing it lies with Brussels itself. Without doing so, a viable resolution of the conflict in Ukraine cannot be achieved.

🎙️Выступление Посла России в Норвегии Н.В.Корчунова на международной промышленной выставке «ИННОПРОМ-2025» (Опубликовано в «Российской газете» 18 июля 2025 г.)

Основные тезисы

• Арктические страны находятся в непростой ситуации, сталкиваясь с вызовами в сфере безопасности, климата, остановкой полноценной научной кооперации, последствиями кризисов в других регионах. Эскалирует геополитическая напряженность, активно подпитываемая НАТО.

• Ограничительные подходы западных стран продолжают ослаблять Арктический совет, нет полноценных контактов между экспертами, по ряду проектов сохраняется ситуация неопределенности. Без возврата к политдиалогу Совет рискует стать «виртуальной площадкой».

• Необходимо использовать потенциал объявленного ООН «Десятилетия наук об океане в интересах устойчивого развития» в 2021-2030 гг. и Международного полярного года 2032-2033 гг. для профильной научной и исследовательской деятельности.

• Уровень двустороннего взаимодействия с Норвегией находится на нижней точке. Правительство Норвегии приняло абсурдное и политически мотивированное решение о введении санкций в отношении российских рыболовных компаний, что грозит подорвать успешное многолетнее сотрудничество в пользу устойчивого управления морскими биоресурсами.

• Самые большие мировые запасы трески находится именно в Баренцевом море, и такой шаг вызывает недоумение, поскольку сотрудничество России и Норвегии в этой сфере, выстраиваемое учеными обеих стран на протяжении более 50 лет, демонстрирует, что согласованные и научно-обоснованные меры со стороны прибрежных государств позволяют вести рациональное и устойчивое рыболовство в высоких широтах.

• В условиях глобальной конкуренции и изменения климата, устойчивое управление рыболовством становится критически важным для всех сторон.

• Важно рационально использовать водные и биологические ресурсы, содействовать развитию научных исследований и внедрению эффективных разработок при реализации крупных инфраструктурных инвестиционных проектов в Арктической зоне, в т.ч. связанных с освоением Севморпути. Особенно хочется подчеркнуть значимость осуществляющейся системы экологического мониторинга СМП.

• Санкции против России мобилизовали развитие внутреннего рынка. Отмечаем значительные успехи в данной сфере – за последние десять лет объем производства товарной аквакультуры удвоен до 380 тыс.т. в год. Сегодня в стране работает около трех тысяч товарных рыбоводных хозяйств, в пользование представлено свыше 4,4 тыс. рыбоводных участков.

• Россия имеет сильные позиции в Арктике, выступает за мирное и устойчивое развитие региона. Открыты к совместной работе не только с арктическими государствами, но со всеми, кто заинтересован в стабильном развитии региона и способен ориентироваться на долгосрочную перспективу.

🔗 Ссылка на материал
📺 Видеотрансояция сессии

⚡️ Russia's Foreign Ministry statement on retaliatory measures to the 17th and 18th EU sanctions packages against Russia

The European Union continues to expand its unilateral and illegitimate restrictive measures against Russia, which violate international law and undermine the prerogatives of the UN Security Council.

On May 20 and July 18, the Council of the European Union passed the 17th and 18th packages of sanctions.

❗️ In response to these unfriendly actions, Russia has significantly expanded its list of representatives of EU institutions, EU member states, and other European countries that have aligned themselves with Brussels’ anti-Russia agenda. In accordance with Federal Law No. 114-FZ On the Procedure for Exiting the Russian Federation and Entering the Russian Federation dated August 15, 1996, these individuals are now banned from entering the territory of the Russian Federation.

📄 This expanded list includes:

• members of law enforcement agencies, government and commercial organisations, and citizens of EU member countries and other Western countries responsible for supplying military aid to Kiev, facilitating deliveries of dual-purpose products to Ukraine, engaging in activities aimed at undermining Russia’s territorial integrity, or organising blockades against Russian vessels and cargo in the Baltic Sea,
• representatives of EU bodies, national authorities of EU countries and other European states involved in politically motivated prosecution of Russian officials for alleged “illegal detentions and deportations from Ukrainian territory,” those supporting the creation of a so-called “tribunal” against the Russian leadership, and advocates of confiscating Russian state assets or redirecting revenues from them to the benefit of the Kiev regime, individuals responsible for drafting or enforcing anti-Russia sanctions, those attempting to damage Russia’s relations with other states,
• outspoken Russophobic activists and representatives of the academic community
• EU and European Parliament members who have voted for anti-Russia resolutions and draft laws.

***

☝️ These hostile, anti-Russia actions will have no impact on our national policy.

Russia will continue to defend its national interests and promote the emergence of a new, just world order. Any future EU sanctions will be met with a timely and proportionate response.

🎙 Statement by Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN Vassily Nebenzia at a UNSC Open Debate on “Promoting International Peace and Security through Multilateralism and Peaceful Settlement of Disputes” (New York, July 22, 2025)

💬 Vassily Nebenzia: We supported the resolution crafted by our Pakistani colleagues in this regard.

Both the meeting and the document adopted are intended to put a spotlight on the principle of peaceful settlement of international disputes, which is something that the Russian Federation attaches great importance to.

States are obliged to settle their disputes through means and mechanisms agreed upon between them. This is the goal that has formed the cornerstone of the United Nations since it was established. <...>

☝️ We are convinced that international peace and security can only be ensured through strict and conscientious observance of all principles of international law in their entirety and inextricable interconnection. And it is of utmost importance that these principles are implemented in good faith.

However, certain states have opted for ignoring this premise and deliberately politicizing mechanisms for dispute settlement, which not only engenders increased tensions in international relations, but may also cause irreversible damage to the activities of the most important judicial and arbitration institutions.

Any form of external pressure, manipulation of procedures, and selective approaches are likely to undermine the authority of international mechanisms, boiling them down to instruments of geopolitical battle. <...>

The issue of conflict prevention, mediation, and “good offices” tends to be one of the most popular topics at the UN, and it is a priority for many States and the UN Secretariat.

We stand convinced that the effectiveness of the UN Secretariat's efforts on preventive diplomacy is rooted in trust. Many countries are openly questioning their impartiality, refusing to host missions on their territory.

We have no doubt that, in order to tackle this problem, the Secretariat and its field missions must return to genuine impartiality as per Articles 100 and 101 of the UN Charter.

UN efforts should not be overloaded with objectives that serve some ideological agenda of any group of countries. In no way do we deny the importance of activities in such areas as peacebuilding, gender equality, combating sexual violence, development assistance, and climate change mitigation. However, these issues cannot be at the center of the UN's political mediation efforts. <...>

❗️ Another trend of late is chronic disregard for and non-compliance with agreements reached through peaceful efforts, including UNSC resolutions. It is not enough to conclude agreements – they must be implemented. Examples abound – what happened with the Minsk agreements, which were signed (according to European leaders) to buy time rather than implement them. This is the most glaring example of the failure of conflict prevention.

Various means of peaceful dispute settlement provide States with ample opportunities to resolve differences arising between them.

However, the desired outcome can only be achieved if these means are applied in good faith and in a coordinated manner by all parties to the dispute themselves, without any external solutions imposed on them.

👉 We are sincerely interested in restoring the central role of the United Nations in maintaining peace and security through peaceful means, with the UN Security Council having the primary responsibility in this regard.

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Kirill Rynza, Chargé d’Affaires a.i. of the Russian Delegation to UNESCO, in an interview to Russia Today in connection with the US withdrawal from UNESCO:

💬 The US withdrawal from #UNESCO will have both political and financial consequences:

📍 the opinion of an entire region will not be taken into account when making decisions. And it's not just the US. In May this year, Nicaragua left UNESCO because of the Secretariat's biased position;

📍 Washington's astronomical debt of more than $600 million to the Organization will not be reimbursed. Despite the claim of UNESCO Director-General A.Azoulay that some financial stability is provided by the Secretariat, the US withdrawal will affect the viability of a number of projects and programmes.

👆We warned the Secretariat leadership and Member states in 2023 that Washington's return to the Organisation in violation of the rules of procedure is yet another illustration of the so-called ‘rules-based order’ - it is a road to nowhere.

⚡️ Statement by Head of the Russian delegation Vladimir Medinsky following the third round of Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul (July 23, 2025)

Key talking points:

• All agreements on humanitarian tracks discussed previously have been fulfilled. The exchange of the last groups of prisoners of war — about 250 individuals from each side — is nearing completion at the Ukraine-Belarus border. A second, unprecedentedly large exchange involving approximately 1'200 people from each side has been completed. An agreement has been reached to conduct another exchange of no less than 1'200 POWs from each side in the near future. Ongoing indefinite humanitarian exchanges of the severely wounded and sick along the line of contact will continue.

• Russia proposed the formation of three working groups to operate online: on political issues, humanitarian issues, and military issues. The Ukrainian Side agreed to consider this proposal.

• The Russian Side has once again proposed that Ukraine consider the possibility of declaring short-term ceasefires (24–48 hours) along the line of contact to retrieve the wounded and the bodies of fallen soldiers.

• Russia has returned more than 7'000 bodies [of AFU soldiers] to Ukraine and has received a small number of its own in return. An offer was made to hand over an additional 3'000 bodies of Ukrainian servicemen.

• The issue of returning civilians displaced by hostilities was discussed. Not all residents of the Kursk region who were "evacuated" by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to Ukrainian territory have been returned home. There are about 30 such individuals, and they are still being held by Ukraine.

• There was extensive discussion on the positions outlined by both parties in the memoranda exchanged last time. The positions remain quite far apart. It was agreed to maintain contact.

• The list of 339 names of Ukrainian children has been fully reviewed. Some children have been returned to Ukraine. Work is ongoing regarding the others. If legal guardians, close relatives, or official representatives are found, the children will be returned home immediately. For us, children are sacred. At present, they are under state care, safe and well provided for in appropriate child welfare institutions.

***

❓ Question: Was the possibility of a summit-level meeting discussed?

💬 Vladimir Medinsky: For such a meeting to take place, the terms of the agreement must first be thoroughly prepared. A summit should be held to finalize and sign off on agreements. Meeting just to rehash everything again makes no sense.

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