In an interview with Republic Media Network Russian DCM Roman Babushkin highlighted #Russia’s talks with #US & #NATO on security, situation in #Kazakhstan, #Afghanistan and other topical issues of the global and bilateral agenda ➡️ youtu.be/t5NomQ0pHbQ

#Volodin: Our soldiers and officers prevented an enormous tragedy. #NATO was getting #Ukraine ready for an attack on our country. How else can one explain that all the decisions on weapon deliveries to Ukraine were made by the US Congress in January ➡️ https://tass.com/defense/1446593

🇷🇺🇫🇮📞 Russia's President Vladimir #Putin had a telephone conversation with Finland President Sauli #Niinistö at the Finnish side’s initiative.

Heads of the two counties had a sincere exchange of views over the announced decision by Finland’s leadership to apply for #NATO membership.

❗️ Vladimir Putin stressed that rejecting the traditional policy of military neutrality would be wrong since there are no threats to Finland’s security.

Such a change in the country’s foreign policy course could have a negative effect on Russia-Finland relations, which have been built over the course of many years in the spirit of neighbourliness and partnership cooperation.

The Presidents also discussed the situation in #Ukraine. In particular, Vladimir Putin shared his opinion of the state of the negotiating process between Russian and Ukrainian representatives. This process has been practically put on hold by #Kiev, which does not show any interest in a serious and constructive dialogue.

#Zakharova: After 3️⃣ months of the special military operation in #Ukraine, almost all territory of #Lugansk, a considerable part of #Donetsk, the entire Kherson Region and big parts of the Kharkov and Zaporozhye regions have been liberated ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/5n7xew49

▫️Peaceful life is being restored on the territories freed from the neo-Nazis. People are restoring the economy and industry, building infrastructure, launching enterprises, and opening schools, kindergartens, outpatient clinics and hospitals.

▫️ On May 24, 2022, Russian sappers demined the port of #Mariupol. Specialists from the Black Sea Fleet removed a Ukrainian border patrol ship sunk by the #Azov battalion from the waterway, which allowed five foreign vessels to ship out.

▫️ On May 20, 2,439 Ukrainian nationalists from Azovstal plant laid down arms & were taken prisoner. All of them are in Donetsk. Wounded were put for in-patient treatment into a hospital. The rest are in the pre-trial detention centre. Their crimes will not go unpunished.

▫️ #Russia continues delivery of humanitarian aid to Lugansk, Donetsk & Ukraine’s liberated areas, which have already received almost 22,000 tonnes of it. Every day Russian Defence Ministry announces the opening of safe corridors for safe evacuation of civilians both eastward & westward.

▫️ #US & its NATO allies are doing all they can to drag out the special military operation & make the confrontation as bloody as possible. Over 30 states – mostly the #NATO countries – are supplying #Ukraine with military aid worth tens of billions of USD

▫️ Number of foreign mercenaries in #Ukraine is growing. Eventually, they will return to their countries (if they are lucky) and use the military experience gained at the battle field. This has always been the case.

It is a fact already - #Ukraine nationalists use #NATO supplied ammunition to terrorise #Donbass population

🎙 Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
(Moscow, February 17, 2023)

🔹 Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov’s schedule
🔹 #UkraineCrisis
🔹 Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland’s statements on the possibility of Ukraine striking targets in #Crimea
🔹 The US policy of #DoubleStandards
🔹 Celebrating International #MotherLanguageDay
🔹 Results of the #NATO Council meeting at defence minister level
🔹 US practice of forcing neutral countries to comply with anti-Russian #sanctions
🔹 Earthquake relief efforts in #Syria
🔹 British intelligence services hacking mobile phones
🔹 New findings in #TwitterFiles investigation
🔹 #WhiteBooks about crimes committed by the modern Anglo-Saxon and their accomplices
🔹 The 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations #RussiaMyanmar
🔹 The 185th anniversary of diplomatic relations #RussiaSerbia

And many more...

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🎙 Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
(Moscow, February 17, 2023)

🔹 Foreign Minister Sergey #Lavrov’s schedule
🔹 #UkraineCrisis
🔹 Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland’s statements on the possibility of Ukraine striking targets in #Crimea
🔹 The US policy of #DoubleStandards
🔹 Celebrating International #MotherLanguageDay
🔹 Results of the #NATO Council meeting at defence minister level
🔹 US practice of forcing neutral countries to comply with anti-Russian #sanctions
🔹 Earthquake relief efforts in #Syria
🔹 British intelligence services hacking mobile phones
🔹 New findings in #TwitterFiles investigation
🔹 #WhiteBooks about crimes committed by the modern Anglo-Saxon and their accomplices
🔹 The 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations #RussiaMyanmar
🔹 The 185th anniversary of diplomatic relations #RussiaSerbia

And many more...

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📄Excerpts from the Concept of the Foreign Policy of the Russian Federation

Regional tracks of the foreign policy of Russia: European region

❗️Most European states pursue an aggressive policy toward Russia aimed at creating threats to the security & sovereignty of Russia, gaining unilateral economic advantages, undermining domestic political stability & eroding traditional Russian spiritual & moral values, & creating obstacles to Russia's cooperation with allies & partners.

☝️Russia intends to consistently defend its national interests by giving priority attention to:

1) reducing & neutralizing threats to security, territorial integrity, sovereignty, traditional spiritual & moral values, & socio-economic development of Russia, its allies & partners from unfriendly European states, #NATO, the EU & the Council of Europe

2) creating conditions for the cessation of unfriendly actions by European states & their associations <...> & for their transition to a long-term policy of good-neighbourliness & mutually beneficial cooperation with Russia

3) the formation of a new model of coexistence by European states to ensure the safe, sovereign & progressive development of Russia, its allies & partners, & durable peace in the European part of Eurasia, taking into account the potential of multilateral formats, including the #OSCE.

Objective prerequisites for the formation of a new model of coexistence with European states are geographical proximity, historically developed deep cultural, humanitarian & economic ties of the peoples & states of the European part of Eurasia. The main factor complicating the normalization of relations between Russia & European states is the strategic course of the USA & their individual allies to draw & deepen dividing lines in the European region.

❗️The realization by the states of Europe that there is no alternative to peaceful coexistence & mutually beneficial equal cooperation with Russia <...> will have a positive effect on the security & welfare of the European region.

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🎙 Briefing by Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova (Moscow, June 21, 2023)

🔹 FM Sergey Lavrov’s schedule
🔹 Ukrainian crisis
🔹 NATO Air Defender 23 exercise
🔹 Situation in Kosovo
🔹 Syrian settlement
🔹 Support for projects in Africa
🔹 Day of Remembrance and Sorrow
🔹 Situation in Moldova

And more...

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#Ukraine
It has been reported that the lion’s share of European and American humanitarian aid for the people of Ukraine is appropriated by Kiev officials who are famously steeped in corruption.

They invent ever more grey schemes to take over (actually, steal) humanitarian aid. Up to a third of this cargo vanishes on the way to its addressees.

#NATO
Air Defender 23 exercise, now underway in German airspace. This is the largest exercise involving NATO air forces since the alliance’s inception. Its scale implies that Washington and its allies are drafting operational plans for engaging an adversary with a comparable potential.

In these conditions, we would like to note once again that any attempts to threaten the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Russian Federation will inevitably result in repercussions for their organisers.

#Kosovo
The situation in the southern Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija is steadily deteriorating. The self-proclaimed authorities led by “prime minister” Albin Kurti are openly moving towards an armed conflict.

The United States and the EU continue to turn a blind eye to “prime minister” Albin Kurti’s disruptive actions and intentionally lead the settlement process to an impasse, forcing Serbs to give up their vital interests.

🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s statement and answers to media questions following the Russia-ASEAN Conference

📍 Jakarta, July 13, 2023

#RussiaASEAN meeting

💬 We have held the annual Ministerial Meeting between Russia and ASEAN Member Countries once again. The meeting involved the Secretary-General of this organisation. We prioritised such aspects as high technologies, digitalisation and smart cities. We had a separate discussion of our collaboration on countering new challenges and threats. Cooperation between #ASEAN and the Eurasian Economic Union (#EAEU) is another issue.

We are expecting ASEAN representatives at the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok in September 2023. We have drafted specific plans aiming to expand practical cooperation in various fields and in the interests of all participants.

On #NATO policy in the Asia-Pacific region

💬 It is true that the ASEAN approaches are now going through a serious test because of the desire of the US and its allies to replace the ASEAN-centric security architecture in the Asia-Pacific region, which took shape over decades and suited everyone until recently, with their “Indo-Pacific strategies” and NATO expansion in this region.

Japan and South Korea already told that they are willing to deploy American nuclear weapons on their territory or to acquire their own. This is a seriously dangerous trend.

#JCPOA

💬 I am not very optimistic about the prospects of resuming the JCPOA. Another point is that, along with this stalled and withered process, the Iranians and the Americans are engaged in unofficial and direct contact below the radar on normalising their relations by unblocking Iran’s seized foreign reserves in exchange for deciding the fate of certain US citizens who were charged with breaking the law in Iran.

We will only welcome any improvement in these relations. Once again, this has little to do with the JCPOA.

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