Key statements of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov + notes

Key statements of Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov:

[Notes: Last night Russia carried out major Ukraine strikes, described as the biggest this year.

Last night, the Russian Armed Forces launched a group strike by high-precision long-range air-, sea-, and ground-based weapons as well as unmanned aerial vehicles at the gas and power infrastructure that supported the Ukrainian defence industry enterprises. The goal of the strike was achieved. All the targets were engaged.

From 1 to 7 March, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carried out seven group strikes with high-precision weapons and strike drones, which destroyed the infrastructure of military airfields, ammunition depots, drone manufacturing shops, depots, and command posts for strike unmanned aerial vehicles, watercraft depots, temporary deployment areas of Ukrainian armed formations, nationalists, and foreign mercenaries.

With the tsunami of news generated from the US, much of this is either unreliable, or skewed.  Peskov puts the actual progress in perspective.]

🔹The arms control dialogue between Russia and the US is necessary from the point of view of international security;

🔹Russia-US contacts are ongoing, but there is no new information on the composition of Washington’s negotiation team on Ukraine yet;

🔹There have been no specific negotiations on arms control between Russia and the US, there is no understanding of when and where they will begin;

🔹Moscow closely monitors militarization and discussions on the defense sector development in the EU;

🔹Militarization of Europe is at odds with efforts to resolve the Ukrainian conflict peacefully;

[Note:  The Russian MFA as well as most of the senior Russian personalities have been speaking out on the froth coming from Europe, and it is froth, spelling out plans that are not feasible. Specifically France and Macron (now referred to as Micron) is under the spotlight.  Here is a Russian MFA statement on the hopeless French dreams of military supremacy:  https://mid.ru/en/foreign_policy/news/2001760/  ]

🔹Achieving goals via diplomacy is a priority for Russia, but as long as Ukraine prohibits talks, the special military operation will continue;

🔹President Putin says that the  Istanbul agreements could become a basis for the Russia-Ukraine peace treaty, Moscow has heard such remarks from the US as well;

🔹The EU today considers Russia as its main adversary;

🔹The attention to European nuclear arsenal has increased amid French leader Emmanuel Macron’s confrontational statements about a possible dialogue with the US on disarmament;

🔹The strike on energy facilities linked to Ukraine’s military-industrial complex is not Russia’s response to Macron’s proposals for a partial truce;

🔹Moscow is convinced that European nuclear arsenals cannot be ignored during the disarmament dialogue;

🔹Moscow may need to take measures to ensure security against the backdrop of discussions on the development of EU’s defense sector;

🔹Russia and China are conducting dialogue on all the issues of strategic stability and will expand it, but Washington and Beijing have their own relations;

🔹Beijing’s position on arms control is unknown yet;

🔹Necessary security of Russian servicepeople in Syria is provided at a proper level.

[Note:  skirmishes and fighting has broken out in Syria.  When Syria fell, many commentators blamed Russia.  This continues.  Be aware that you may come across unsubstantiated comments on what Russia is doing in Syria from their bases, including air strikes.  These are generally untrue]