🎙️Интервью Посла России в Великобритании А.В.Келина телеканалу Россия 24, 11 апреля 2024 года

💬А.В.Келин:

▪︎Обстановка изменилась не только на поле боя, но и в настроениях людей и в Европе, и даже в Британии. Тем не менее мининдел Великобритании Д.Кэмерон продолжает твердить, что Украина должна победить Россию. Либо надо быть слепым и глухим, либо очень бояться признать ошибочность своей политической линии в последние годы. Думаю, дело именно в этом.

▪︎Британия подчеркивает, что свою роль видит, прежде всего, в мобилизации усилий западного лагеря по содействию Киеву. Здесь Лондон и Париж соперничают: кто громче крикнет, ведь собственные возможности в плане предоставления украинцам военной помощи Британия во многом исчерпала.

▪︎В Великобритании уже не первый месяц на все лады муссируется тема «неминуемого» вооруженного конфликта. Речь идет собственно о банальном стремление силового блока, влиятельных отставников и стоящего за ними бизнеса добиться увеличения госрасходов на оборонные нужды.

▪︎Присутствие британских военных специалистов на Украине не является секретом. Лондон признает дежурство там, например, сил спецопераций. Известно о вовлеченности британцев в планирование и подготовку операций ВСУ, в т.ч. диверсий на территории России.

▪︎Из [наших] контактов с рядовыми англичанами следует, что никакой угрозы со стороны России они, разумеется, не видят и не чувствуют.

▪︎В британской прессе регулярно появляются слухи об отставке премьер-министра Р.Сунака. Внутрипартийная турбулентность, подогреваемая спекуляциями о готовящихся «заговорах», для тори характерна, особенно в последние годы. Но среди консерваторов многие действительно недовольны провалами правительства.

▪︎С марта 2022 г. Лондон методично идет по деструктивному, прежде всего, для собственной экономики пути сворачивания торгово-экономических отношений с нашей страной. Денонсация Советско-Британского соглашения о ловле рыбы в водах Баренцева моря - ответная мера.

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🇷🇺🇧🇾 President Vladimir Putin met in the Kremlin with President of the Republic of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko who arrived in Moscow on a working visit (April 11, 2024)

💬 We have never rejected a peaceful settlement of disputes. Moreover, this is what we were inclined to do. It was not Russia that started this war in 2014. Everything began with a coup d’etat in Ukraine. <…>

Now, as you know, the idea of holding some kind of conference in Switzerland is being promoted. We are not invited there. Moreover, they think that we have nothing to do there, and at the same time they say that nothing can be solved without us. Since we are not going there (it has now turned into a kind of nonsense), they say that we refuse to negotiate. We were not invited, but they say that we refuse.

It would be funny if it were not so sad. Once again, I would like to emphasise that we are in favour of talks. But not in the format of being imposed any schemes that have nothing to do with reality. <…>

we have recently seen a series of strikes on our energy facilities, and we had to respond. I would like to emphasise that in winter time, guided by humanitarian considerations, we did not launch any strikes on energy facilities. I mean, they wanted to have our social institutions, hospitals and so on left without power supply. But after a series of strikes on our energy facilities, we had to respond. <…> Above all, we proceed from the fact that in this way we directly impact the military-industrial complex of Ukraine. <…>

The opposite side – has driven itself into a corner, to a certain extent, by refusing to negotiate, expecting to defeat Russia on the battlefield, to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. Now, having understood that this is impossible and having refused to negotiate, they have found themselves in a predicament.

Our goal is not putting everyone in a tough spot. Just the opposite: we are ready for constructive efforts. But clearly, nothing detached from reality can be imposed on us.

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🕯 The CIS Foreign Ministers Council meeting in Minsk started with a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the March 22 terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall concert venue

🎙 Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s answer to a media question about the Swiss government’s decision to host a high-level conference on Ukraine

❓Question: On April 10, the Swiss government announced its decision to hold a high-level Ukraine peace conference in June. Will Russia participate in it?

💬 Maria Zakharova: We have repeatedly expressed our extremely negative attitude to this “conference.” Russia will not take part in it, even if we receive an invitation, which we haven’t so far.

Switzerland is trying to peddle the compromised Zelensky formula under the guise of good offices and keep the failed Copenhagen process going, in a new package this time.

☝️ Any events that ignore Russia’s position and are based on the ultimatum-like Zelensky formula’s provisions are detached from reality and have no future.

The intention voiced by the organisers of the “conference” to take common components out from other countries’ initiatives is nothing but a trick. It is well known that the Zelensky formula does not imply compromises or alternative solutions and completely ignores the proposals put forward by China and Brazil, as well as African and Arab states.

We have no confidence in Switzerland, either. It stands on the positions of Ukraine, supports the Kiev regime, imposes anti-Russian sanctions, and adopts strategies that exclude Russia from the system of supposedly existing European security. By definition and given the circumstances, Switzerland cannot act as a neutral host, let alone a mediator.

The West needs the Global South countries to take part in the “conference” only to give weight to a certain “collective ultimatum” that they are going to present to Russia.

👉 We hope our partners in Asia, Africa and Latin America will be vigilant and will not let themselves be drawn into yet another anti-Russian reckless scheme.

12 апреля 2024 года в День космонавтики Генеральный консул России в Эдинбурге Д.И.Москаленко возложил цветы к памятному камню, посвященному первому полету человека в космос, на острове Мейнленд (Оркнейские острова).

On April 12, 2024, on Cosmonautics Day, Consul General of Russia in Edinburgh Denis Moskalenko laid flowers at the memorial stone dedicated to the First Man in space on the island of Mainland (Orkney Islands).

🚀12 April marks the International Day of Human Space Flight - the annual celebration commemorating the first human space flight by Yuri #Gagarin, which took place #OTD in 1961.

During his 1961 trip to the UK at the invitation of the Foundry Workers' Union in Manchester, Yuri Gagarin met Her Majesty The Queen and Prime Minister Harold Macmillan.

A number of places commemorating the heroic deed of Yuri Gagarin are scattered across the UK, which include: his statue at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, a memorable plaque at Manchester Airport, Gagarin’s bronze bust at the Science Museum in London. Several streets around the UK also bare his name.

The first British astronaut Helen Sharman, who was also the first woman to visit the «Mir» space station in May 1991, once said: «Wherever we go in space, and whatever we do there, we stand on the shoulders of Yuri Gagarin».

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks and answers to media questions during a joint news conference with CIS Secretary-General Sergey Lebedev following the CIS Foreign Ministers Council meeting

📍 Minsk, April 12, 2024

💬 Sergey Lavrov: Russia chairs the CIS this year. Our top priority is to ensure furthering integration ties in all areas, including the economy, security, law and order and the cultural and humanitarian area.

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Nearly every CIS member country emphasised the significance of this unity, highlighting the novel character, level, and quality of our relations <...> within the framework of the Commonwealth.

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Instead of fostering direct dialogue devoid of ultimatums, the West is pushing forward with the Copenhagen process, preparing for a conference in Switzerland. Here - and they openly said it - they aim to refine and present the infamous ten points of Vladimir Zelensky's “peace formula” to the Russian Federation. <...> It is evident to any astute political observer that this approach is a dead end, to say the least.

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The West solemnly pledged at the top level that not a single country or organisation in the OSCE region would strive to aspire to domination. In fact, what NATO engaged in was none other than domination.

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The US and its satellites are trying to impose their presence on every region where Russia is present. <...> They are creating various formats to counteract the Russian Federation.

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❗️ The West’s policy is doomed to failure. True, they can use blackmail, ultimatums and threats to make our partners do things that are less than helpful for cooperation within the CIS. But these are one-off cases and cannot influence the general movement towards getting rid of Western diktat. It is a historical process, which is changing the global situation, not only the post-Soviet countries.

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🎙 FM Sergey Lavrov’s opening remarks at the meeting of Russia-Central Asia Foreign Ministers (Minsk, April 12, 2024)

💬 We are grateful that you accepted our proposal to hold the seventh regular meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Central Asia and the Russian Federation. <...>

Today I would like to focus on the implementation of the results of the first Russia-Central Asia summit, which took place in the autumn of 2022 in Kazakhstan.

🤝 Our Leaders called upon us to develop recommendations to further promote cooperation in the economy, energy, and environment. In particular, the Russian side has prepared the presentation of a special project on providing support in relieving the ecological situation in the Aral region.

The Russia-Central Asia format is very important for regularly exchanging views on regional security and current international issues.

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🇷🇺 Comment by Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the International Organizations in Vienna Mikhail Ulyanov to «REN TV» on the extraordinary session of the IAEA Board of Governors (with English subnoscripts)

💬 Yesterday's extraordinary session of the IAEA Board of Governors was exactly what could and should have been done

💬 To draw attention to the dangerous situation, to draw attention to violations of the safety principles formulated by the IAEA Director General regarding the Zaporozhskaya NPP and the nuclear sphere in general, to support the fairly tough position of the Director General - this was also necessary. And, in my opinion, it worked

💬 Because even Westerners, who never try to say anything bad about Ukraine, even when it is obvious that it is carrying out unacceptable actions, even they, in fact all of them, said that it is unacceptable to shoot at the nuclear power plant, without calling Ukraine by name. Then, however, they moved on to another topic, to numerous claims addressed to us, i.e. blurred the situation, blurred the focus of the discussion

💬 But, nevertheless, it seems to me that the necessary signal was sent to Kiev and I would like to hope that they will refrain from resuming attacks on the Zaporozhskaya NPP

🎙 Statement by Russian Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia at UNSC briefing on Western arms deliveries to Ukraine

💬 The Kiev regime started to be pumped full with Western weapons at least 10 years ago. At first, this was done secretly, under the cover of the Minsk Agreements, and the corresponding Western activity was not publicized and was even denied. Now, however, all this has come to the surface and is not even concealed.

• Western elites find it more and more problematic keeping silent about the rampant corruption in Ukraine, the lack of control and accountability of the supplied equipment and ammunition and, consequently, the serious risks of their falling in the hands of terrorists.

• If Ukraine wanted peace, it would have achieved it long ago. Our justified and reasonable demands to our neighbor, which stand at the core of the SMO, are well known, and Ukraine is perfectly able to meet them without compromising its sovereignty and statehood.

• There is no doubt about the direct involvement of Ukraine in this horrendous and ruthless crime [in the Crocus City Hall]. The tracks of those who ordered it, as we can reasonably assert, lead to Kiev.

• The Investigative Committee of Russia has revealed that the money for organizing terrorist attacks on our territory came through commercial companies, including the oil and gas company “Burisma Holdings”, which has been operating in Ukraine and where the well-known Hunter Biden has been Board member since 2014.

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⚡️ Заявление МИД России в связи с атакой по территории Израиля

💬 В ночь на 14 апреля по территории Израиля было запущено большое количество ракет и беспилотников. По заявлению МИД Ирана, данная атака была предпринята в рамках права на самооборону в соответствии со статьёй 51 Устава ООН в ответ на нападения на иранские объекты в регионе, включая удар по зданию консульского отдела Посольства ИРИ в Дамаске 1 апреля, который наша страна решительно осудила.

К сожалению, из-за позиции западных членов СБ ООН не смог адекватно прореагировать на удар по иранской консульской миссии.

Выражаем крайнюю озабоченность в связи с очередной опасной эскалацией в регионе. Неоднократно предупреждали, что неурегулированность многочисленных кризисов на Ближнем Востоке, в первую очередь, в зоне палестино-израильского конфликта, которые зачастую подогреваются безответственными провокационными действиями, будет приводить к росту напряжённости.

Призываем все вовлечённые стороны к сдержанности. Рассчитываем, что региональные государства будут решать имеющиеся проблемы политико-дипломатическими средствами. Считаем важным, чтобы конструктивно настроенные международные игроки этому способствовали.

☝️ Обращаем внимание российских граждан, находящихся в Израиле и соседних странах, в первую очередь, Иордании, Ливане и Сирии, на необходимость следить за сообщениями и практическими рекомендациями, публикуемыми на информационных лентах МИД России, официальных сайтах российских заграничных учреждений в упомянутых странах, Консульского департамента и Департамента Ситуационно-кризисный центр МИД России, в том числе в соответствующем разделе обновлённого ресурса – мобильного приложения «Помощник за рубежом».

⚡️ Foreign Ministry statement in connection with the attack on Israeli territory

💬 In the early hours of April 14, a large number of missiles and drones were launched at the territory of Israel.

According to the Iranian Foreign Ministry, this attack was undertaken as part of the right to self-defence stipulated in Article 51 of the UN Charter in response to the attacks on Iranian targets in the region, including the strike on the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus on April 1, which our country strongly denounced.

Unfortunately, due to the position adopted by its Western members, the Security Council was unable to provide a proper response to the strike on the Iranian consular mission.

We express our extreme concern at yet another dangerous escalation in the region. We have repeatedly warned that the numerous unresolved crises in the Middle East, primarily in the area of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which are often fueled by irresponsible provocative actions, will exacerbate tensions.

☝️ We call on all parties involved in the conflict to exercise restraint. We expect the regional states to resolve the existing problems through political and diplomatic means. We believe it is important for the constructively-minded international players to contribute to this effort.

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🇷🇺🇮🇷📞 On April 13, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Foreign Minister of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian spoke over the phone.

The Ministers focused on the situation in the Middle East. The Russian side reiterated its strong condemnation of the April 1 Israeli airstrike on the Iranian consular office in Damascus.

❗️ It was emphasised that, just like political assassinations, any attacks on diplomatic or consular sites, the inviolability of which is guaranteed by the relevant Vienna conventions, are absolutely unacceptable.

The sides confirmed mutual commitment to maintaining a high level of coordination on international and regional agenda priorities.

They emphasised mutual interest in steadily building up political and diplomatic cooperation, as well as trade and economic interaction in the transport and logistics sphere, among others, including transit traffic.

#Opinion by Russian MFA Spox Maria Zakharova

Israeli Ambassador to Russia Simona Halperin: Israel expects Russia to condemn Iran’s large-scale missile attack on the country.

💬 Simona, remind me when was the last time that Israel condemned at least one of Kiev’s attacks on Russian regions? You can’t recall that, can you? Neither can I.

What I do recall are routine statements by Israeli officials in support of Zelensky’s actions. The very same criminal and terrorist actions committed by the thugs from Ukraine’s Presidential Office that have for years been killing civilians and destroying civilian infrastructure.

t.me/MariaVladimirovnaZakharova/7851

🇷🇺🇮🇷📞 On April 14, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had a telephone conversation with Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hossein Amir-Abdollahian at the initiative of the Iranian side.

The main topic of discussion centred around the situation in the Middle East. The Iranian Foreign Minister informed his Russian counterpart about the actions taken by Tehran in response to the Israeli airstrike on the consular section of the Iranian Embassy in Damascus on April 1, which resulted in the death of Iranian officials.

As noted, any further escalation of the situation in the region and any new dangerous provocative actions could lead to an escalation of tensions in the Middle East. Preventing such scenarios and eliminating their root causes should be a primary concern for the UN Security Council.

The Ministers reaffirmed their support for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, underscoring the urgency of resolving pressing humanitarian problems, and expressed their commitment to establishing lasting conditions for direct negotiations in accordance with the UN resolutions on a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

🎙 Russia's Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s answer to a media question regarding Switzerland losing its neutral status

❓ Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that “We aren’t counting on Switzerland’s services. Thanks to its neutral status, Switzerland has traditionally been a venue for peace conferences and talks to reach compromises and agreements. But it has lost this status.”

In connection to this, does Russia intend to transfer the International Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus to another country? Which countries could host discussions on the South Caucasus?

💬 We have repeatedly pointed out to the Swiss side that its irresponsible commitment to the collective West’s openly unfriendly policy towards Russia, including the fact that it has joined all the “packages” of EU sanctions against Russia (there are 13 of them to date), as well as its total solidarity with the Kiev regime, are at variance with its much vaunted “neutrality.” <...>

Regrettably, the Swiss authorities have failed to heed our concerns. Moreover, in recent months, they have actively promoted certain destructive initiatives, such as their own proposal to host an “international conference” on Ukraine, an idea that is completely detached from reality, as well as their efforts to develop a legal framework for a mechanism that would allow for the confiscation of Russia’s state assets deposited in their country.

Given these circumstances, Russia has been forced to put into practice its intention to transfer the International Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in the South Caucasus to a country whose authorities would refrain from any actions that could damage the interests of any participating party in this negotiation format <...>

The only thing worth noting is that Russia intends to continue its efforts to achieve consensus on transferring the talks from Geneva with active support from our Abkhazian and South Ossetian allies, who fully share Moscow’s perspective on this matter.