🗓 On December 17, during the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly in New York, the resolution titled “Combatting glorification of Nazism, neo-Nazism and other practices that contribute to fuelling contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance” was adopted at the Russian Federation’s initiative.

In addition to Russia, 39 countries from various regions of the world co-authored the document, including Azerbaijan, Algeria, Armenia, Belarus, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Venezuela, Vietnam, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Cameroon, Kyrgyzstan, China, the DPRK, Congo, Cuba, Laos, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Serbia, Syria, Sudan, Tajikistan, Togo, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, the Central African Republic, Sri Lanka, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, and South Africa.

The resolution was supported by 119 states, with 53 delegations voting against and ten countries abstaining.

The document strongly reaffirmed its condemnation of the glorification of the Nazi movement and the attempts to rehabilitate former SS members, including the Waffen-SS units, which were declared criminal by the Nuremberg Tribunal.

☝️ The participants of the resolution expressed grave concern over the continued targeting of monuments dedicated to those who fought against Nazism and fascism, as well as soldiers liberators – acts that have evolved into official state policies in recent years.

Additionally, the resolution voiced profound indignation at events glorifying Nazis and their collaborators, such as neo-Nazi marches, torchlight processions, and gatherings of radical nationalists.

The resolution highlights the trend of erecting memorials and renaming streets, schools, and other public places after individuals who fought alongside the Nazis or collaborated with them.

It expresses concern over efforts to glorify as national heroes those who fought against the Anti-Hitler Coalition during World War II, collaborated with the Nazis, and were responsible for war crimes and crimes against humanity.

❌ The resolution also condemns attempts by certain countries to prohibit symbols associated with the victory over Nazism. It underscores that such actions desecrate the memory of the countless victims of Nazism, have a detrimental impact on younger generations, and stand in direct contradiction to the obligations of UN member states under the Charter of the United Nations.

The collective West, particularly the EU countries where the aforementioned violations occur systematically, has abandoned even the pretence of justifying its refusal to support the resolution. Citing baseless arguments about freedom of assembly and speech, these nations have opposed international efforts to combat aggressive manifestations of racism and xenophobia.

The stance taken by Germany, Italy, and Japan deserves particular condemnation. Their vote against the resolution represents a dangerous trend, given the dark chapters in their XX-century history. It raises serious questions about the sincerity of their repentance for the numerous war crimes, crimes against humanity, and acts of genocide committed during World War II.

❗️ The voting results clearly highlight the increasing support from the international community for Russia’s longstanding initiative, which is presented annually at the #UN General Assembly.

The adoption of this thematic resolution holds particular significance as it coincides with the approaching 80th anniversary of the Victory in World War II.

🎙Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with '60 Minutes' television programme (December 25, 2024)

💬 Sergey Lavrov: We have not had any illusions about the prospects [of 2025]. Resolving the Ukraine crisis doesn’t have any prospects, either. It has long been clear to everyone holding unbiased positions that it can be settled only in the context of agreements on lasting security and stability in Europe, which would take into account the interests of the Russian Federation and the legitimate interests of all other countries. <...>

President Putin has repeatedly stressed that we never walk away from talks. We need to see serious, concrete proposals. When we have them, we will decide on how to respond to them based on our national interests, the goals of the special military operation, and President Vladimir Putin’s June 14 speech at the Foreign Ministry.

Other key points

• The prevailing discourse we are hearing both in the West and in Ukraine today is about a truce and only truce. It is about buying time to allow the Kiev regime to regain strength, with the help of the West, and resume its attempts to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, acting on their Western bosses’ instructions.

President Vladimir Putin has mentioned this repeatedly – during the Direct Line, at the Valdai Discussion Club meeting, and at the Russia Calling! investment forum. We will not be satisfied with a truce. We need reliable and legally binding agreements aimed at eliminating the root causes of the conflict, addressing problems such as common security in Europe, NATO expansion, the European Union’s recent decision to become an appendage of the North Atlantic bloc, in fact, erasing all differences between these organisations, and above all, upholding the rights of the people living in these territories who have supported reunification with the Russian Federation.

• We have never initiated a discussion regarding what should be done with nuclear weapons and whether they can be used. On the contrary, it was at Russia's initiative that in 2021, first at the level of Vladimir Putin and Joe Biden, and subsequently among the leaders of the entire G5 nuclear-armed states – the permanent members of the Security Council – the 1987 Gorbachev-Reagan principle was reaffirmed: there can be no victors in a nuclear war, thus it should never be instigated. This was a Russian initiative.

We are not interested in escalating the issue of nuclear weapons usage risks. We firmly adhere to the principle I mentioned earlier: there can be no victors in a nuclear war.

• Regarding the incessant terrorist acts perpetrated by the Kiev regime, which deliberately targets purely civilian structures such as residential buildings, hospitals, clinics, shops, and places where people congregate and relax – this is outrageous. It is a blatant violation of all anti-terrorism conventions and relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We express our condemnation, although regrettably, almost no one in the West and none of the leaders of international organisations, including the #UN, the #OSCE, #UNESCO, and others, join us in this denunciation. Naturally, we do not stop there.

We regularly disseminate information and present relevant videos illustrating our efforts to dismantle facilities directly associated with the preparation and execution of activities by the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

❗️We caution that any continuation of this path will be met with increasingly decisive responses on our part.

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🎹 🎻 Glimpses of the Christmas concert for the Russian compatriots.

🎅 We thank little bright stars from the Academy for Musical Excellence, Father Frost and Snow Maiden, who made that evening special.

#RussianHouse #Rossotrudnichestvo #Christmas #ChristmasConcert #Tchaikovsky #Shostakovich #соотечественники #RussianAsia #Kolkata #Musicea

Discover the Magic of Russian Holidays! 🎉

📅 When:Friday, December 27, at 4:00 PM
📍 Where: Russian House in New Delhi, 1st floor (Russian Language Institute)

Join us for an exciting interactive session, “Holidays in Russia,” led by volunteers from the "Ambassadors of the Russian Language in the World" program. Here's what awaits you:
✨ A deep dive into Russia’s vibrant holiday traditions
🎤 Fun quizzes and trivia challenges
🎶 A hands-on lesson in playing traditional Russian spoons and much more!

🌟 This is your chance to practice your Russian language skills while immersing yourself in the rich culture of Russia.

📌 Registration is required! Sign up now: https://forms.gle/R1g8B9Q715NeMQne9

We can’t wait to see you there—let’s celebrate together! 😊

🌐 On December 26, the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council Meeting was held in the Leningrad Region.

💬 President Putin: I am delighted to welcome you all at the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council Meeting. <...>

This year marks the tenth anniversary of signing the Treaty on Establishing the Eurasian Economic Union. In May, Moscow hosted a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council, dedicated to this anniversary date.

Our association has asserted itself as an independent and self-sufficient centre of an emerging multipolar world, and it continues to develop dynamically.

The Eurasian Economic Union’s activities help expand trade and investment exchanges, boost business contacts and deepen cooperation ties. Most importantly, integration collaboration brings real benefits to every member of our association. It helps facilitate stable and sustained economic growth in the five member states and in the entire Eurasian region. This improves living standards of our countries’ citizens and their well-being.

🇷🇺 Russia values mutually beneficial multi-faceted cooperation with #EAEU partners, and we are sincerely interested in invigorating joint work to comprehensively strengthen our integration association.

I am convinced that all colleagues, who are present here, share this commitment. I therefore hope that our meeting will be productive and truly business-like.

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🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with Russian and international news media (Moscow, December 26, 2024)

❓ Question: Talks are the top priority, no question about it. Many opinions are heard coming from the diplomatic circles, experts, and other sources. To put it in plain terms, they are trying hard to see both of us make peace. The question is, though, who are we supposed to talk to in Kiev? President-elect Trump’s presumptive special envoy for Ukraine Keith Kellogg has come up with an initiative. What’s your take on the situation?

💬 Sergey Lavrov: Much has been said on this subject. President Putin has repeatedly addressed this issue, including during the Direct Line and during the Valdai International Discussion Club meeting before that, as well as other events.

☝️ Empty talk is not for us.

Everything we have heard so far was rhetoric about the need to come up with some kind of a ceasefire. However, not much is done to hide the fact that the purpose of a ceasefire is to buy time and to flood Ukraine with weapons, to help it get back in shape, to carry out additional mobilisation, and so on.

Ceasefire [temporary measures] is a road leading nowhere.

We need binding legal agreements that will lay out the conditions for ensuring Russia’s security and the legitimate security interests of our neighbours. However, they should exist in an international legal context that would preclude chances of violating these agreements.

These agreements must address Ukraine crisis’ root causes. The two main ones include, first, the violation of the commitments not to expand NATO to the east and the aggressive absorption by NATO of the geopolitical space all the way up to our borders. This is what they had in store for Ukraine. They keep talking about it to this day.

The second root cause includes the Kiev regime’s absolutely racist actions following the coup. The extermination of everything Russian, including language, mass media, culture, and even the use of the Russian language in everyday life, was officially greenlighted and then codified into law. That includes outlawing the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

We are told that Russia is allegedly putting forward preliminary conditions. In fact, these are not preconditions, but demands to act in line with previous agreements.

As it turns out, they lied to us when they assured us that NATO would not expand eastward. They lied to us when they emphasised their commitment to a settlement based on the UN Charter fully forgetting that this Charter stipulates more than the principle of territorial integrity and also includes the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples. It took the General Assembly quite a while to consider the relationship between these principles before it resolved by consensus in its wisdom that the territorial integrity of all states whose governments abide by the principle of self-determination and, therefore, represent the entire population living within the borders of the territory in question must be respected.

How can Kiev’s Nazi regime represent the interests of the residents of Crimea, Donbass, or Novorossiya, whom it declared terrorists right after the coup and launched a military “anti-terrorist operation” against them?

<...>

As President Putin said, we are willing to consider serious and concrete proposals. I hope that the Trump Administration, including Mr Kellogg, will look into the root causes of the conflict.

***

Key talking points:

• Russia and China have a real stabilising effect on international relations.

• The Americans prefer to get rid of competitors; it is their policy. Now they are “taking out” Russia, and beginning to do the same with regard to China.

• We are fully aware that the US relies on a bipartisan consensus with regard to Russia. This is not a friendly, but, to put it bluntly, Russophobic consensus.

• We receive signals from the overwhelming majority of Latin American countries expressing their interest in strengthening partnership with Russia.

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✉️ President of Russia Vladimir Putin extended condolences to President of India Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on the passing of former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh (December 27, 2024)

Excerpt:

✍️ President Putin: Manmohan Singh was an outstanding statesman.

As Prime Minister and when serving in other high-ranking positions, he accomplished a lot in promoting India’s economic development and asserting its interests on the world stage.

He also made a major personal contribution to strengthening friendly ties between our two countries by elevating them to the level of a special privileged strategic partnership.

🕯 I had the occasion of talking with this remarkable man several times. We will cherish the memory of him.

#RussiaIndia