Three Russian ‘Key Point’ Press Briefings: Defense, Maria Zakharova and Sergey Ryabkov
My comments, indented, follow the Key Points.
Key takeaways from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov’s statements at the Zhirinovsky Readings International Scientific and Expert Forum:
On new US policy
▪US President Donald Trump “became the first and almost the only” Western leader to recognize NATO expansion as the root cause of the conflict in Ukraine
Comment: This is so Russian-like. First, he expresses what seems to be positive, and then he tears it apart.
▪Force has become the main instrument of Washington’s foreign policy
▪The administration of US President Donald Trump is doing “what seemed unthinkable a year ago”
On dialogue with US on Ukraine
▪Moscow is prepared for dialogue with Washington on Ukraine on equal terms, and, if necessary, to “drive a hard bargain”
Again, this is within the Russian diplomatic playbook. He offers dialogue and then tells what the dialog will be. The ‘hard bargain’ is baked into the cake.
▪The negotiation process on the Ukrainian crisis must “fit within the framework” of the understandings reached at the Russia-US summit in Anchorage
Russia will keep the US to their Leader to Leader agreements in Anchorage. They do this as a starting point and they do this to have a point to measure from. As we see so clearly in Lavrov’s statements over the past few weeks, they will keep US feet to the fire.
▪Russia is facing “extreme hostility from Europe,” calling it a “complicating factor” in negotiations on Ukraine
On new world order
▪The transition of international relations to a multipolar world order will be accompanied by “severe turbulence,” but this process is irreversible
So there we have it. Get ready for turbulence, but this will happen. It is too far now to stop the process, and none of the “force that has become the main instrument of Washington’s foreign policy ” will change this. Again, Ryabkov continues with measurable progress …
▪The share of the US and other Western countries in the global economy is “declining,” and the dollar’s monopoly is “eroding”
▪The monopoly of the dollar is eroding
On Russia’s foreign policy course
▪Russia’s foreign policy course does not depend on external factors
▪Moscow does not accept “threats, blackmail, or pressure” from outside — it will not influence its course
On threats to Russia
▪Western countries, “in an attempt to maintain hegemony,” are turning countries of the global majority against them
▪The US and its allies are increasing military capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region, “which creates risks not only for China but also for Russia”
An example of these risks, and China’s reaction vis a vis nuclear capability.
On the situation in the Middle East
▪The situation in the Middle East is “alarming”
▪A new military operation in Iran “cannot be ruled out”
▪The US has once again deployed large numbers of strike systems, increasing pressure day by day, threatening to use force, and continuing attempts to destabilize the internal political situation in Iran.
This of course again refers to the “Force that has become the main instrument of Washington’s foreign policy.
🗣 Key takeaways from Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s statements at a weekly press briefing:
▪️The Kiev regime is ready to do anything to prevent a just peace in Ukraine
▪️The Kiev regime deliberately intensifies terrorist attacks on Russian civilians during negotiations on a peaceful settlement to prolong the conflict
▪️Moscow has emphasized to Tokyo that Russian sovereignty over the Kuril Islands is non-negotiable
▪️Russia will not send delegates to the inaugural meeting of the Board of Peace
▪️Chief of European diplomacy Kaja Kallas’s intention to make a list of demands to Russia shows the EU’s wish to prevent a Ukrainian settlement
▪️Vladimir Zelensky’s statements on new Western military and financial aid tranches indicate Kiev’s lack of willingness for peace
▪️Russia remains skeptical about France’s true intentions regarding a resumption of bilateral dialogue
▪️The assassination attempt on Russian Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alexeyev, First Deputy Chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff, has demonstrated the intent of the Kiev regime to derail the negotiation process on the Ukrainian settlement
▪️Russia will work towards the full-fledged reinstatement of the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the restoration of Russian athletes’ rights in the global sports arena
▪️Moscow’s position on the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START) remains unchanged
▪️External forces seek to escalate the crisis in Cuba
▪️Russia will not ignore Western attempts to destabilize Belarus
❕Highlights from the Russian Defense Ministry Press Briefing (https://tass.com/politics/2085875), February 12:
▪️Russian forces delivered a combined strike on energy facilities used by the Ukrainian army
▪️Russian forces struck Ukrainian military airfield infrastructure
▪️Ukraine lost roughly 1,270 troops along the engagement line
▪️Russia’s Battlegroup Center destroyed a German-made Leopard tank of the Ukrainian army
▪️Russian air defenses intercepted and destroyed 211 Ukrainian fixed-wing drones and five Flamingo long-range missiles
These three statements in a nutshell tells us all we need to know.