⚡️Bashar al-Assad: If asked by Moscow, Syrians will fight in Ukraine side by side with Russia. 🇸🇾🇷🇺

"Russia is defending itself and the rest of the world," Assad said.

The Syrian President emphasized that the Ukrainian crisis is a problem created by Western countries, spearheaded by the United States to divide the peoples of the world and undermine the national security of Russia.

#Syria
#Russia
#Ukraine_war


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🎙 Russia's Permanent Representative to the UN Vassily Nebenzia’s answers to media questions on the occasion of assuming UNSC Presidency by Russia (July 1, 2024)

#Ukraine

• President Putin in his recent remarks (of June 14) said that the reality changed, and we are ready anytime not just to interrupt the conflict, but to come to ending it, but the reality should be taken into account. The new reality that emerged during the period between April 22 and July 24. It was rejected by Kiev and by the West. But the problem for them is that the longer this thing continues, the more difficult the situation on the ground for them will be. <...> So, if they don't want to be realistic, let them not be.

• We are discouraging all countries from providing arms for Ukraine. The destiny of the weapons that will be eventually exported to Ukraine is clear. They will be destroyed, as the other weapons that the West and the US are supplying Ukraine with.

#Afghanistan

• The Taliban is de facto the authorities of Afghanistan. <...> You have to recognize this fact and deal with them as such.

• The rights of women and girls in Afghanistan should be observed and the government in Afghanistan should be inclusive, inclusive not just by nationalities, but by the political spectrum that exists to represent the country fully. The case today that it is not the fact and we have to accept it for the time being and continue pragmatic dealing with the current Afghan authorities.

#Syria

• You mentioned foreign presence in Syria. Yes, indeed. There are many foreign armies there; most of them are deployed there illegally. For example, the US that justifies its presence in Syria by Article 51 of the Charter. I wonder how Article 51 of the Charter works for the US in Syria.

The Syrian conflict is not ending because the reality on the ground is not changing. The Syrian government is subject to numerous <...> sanctions, unilateral coercive measures, with most of them originating in the West of course.

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🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview to Tucker Carlson (Moscow, December 6, 2024)

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Watch on Youtube

Key talking points

#RussiaUS

• We would like to have normal relations with all countries especially with the United States. We don't see any reason why Russia and the United States cannot cooperate for the sake of the universe.

• The Ukrainians would not be able to do what they're doing with long-range modern weapons without direct participation of the American servicemen. We don't want to aggravate the situation, but since ATACMS and other long-range weapons are being used against mainland Russia as it were, we are sending signals. <...>

[The US and its allies] must understand that we would be ready to use any means not to allow them to succeed in what they call strategic defeat of Russia. They fight for keeping the hegemony over the world on any country, any region, any continent. We fight for our legitimate security interests.

• We don't want to aggravate the situation, but since ATACMS and other long-range weapons are being used against mainland Russia, we are sending signals. We hope that the last one, a couple of weeks ago, the signal with the new weapon system called #Oreshnik was taken seriously.

• When the United States and other Western countries recognized unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, they said this is the self-determination being implemented. There was no referendum in Kosovo — unilateral declaration of independence. <...> And when a few years later, Crimeans were holding referendum with invitation of many international observers, not from international organizations, but from parliamentarians in Europe, in Asia, in post-Soviet space, they said that they cannot accept this because this is violation of territorial integrity 🤷‍♂️

The UN Charter is not a menu. You have to respect it in all its entirety 👉 #UNCharterIsOurRules

• I think [Donald Trump] is a very strong person. A person who wants results. Who doesn't like procrastination on anything. But this does not mean that he's pro-Russian as some people try to present him. The amount of sanctions we received under the Trump administration was very big.

#Ukraine

• We strongly prefer peaceful solution through negotiations on the basis of respecting legitimate security interest of Russia, and on the basis of respecting the people who live in Ukraine, who still live in Ukraine being Russians. <...>

No military bases, no military exercises on the Ukrainian soil with participation of foreign troops. <...> We cannot tolerate a deal which would keep the legislation which are prohibiting Russian language, Russian media, Russian culture, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, because it is a violation of the obligations of Ukraine under the UN Charter.

• We are not talking about exterminating anybody's population. We don't have any intention to exterminate Ukrainian people. They are brothers and sisters to the Russian people.

• It is becoming clear that there is a fatigue in some capitals, and there are talks every now and then that the Americans would like to leave [Ukraine] with the Europeans and to concentrate on something more important.

#Syria

• The Americans in the east of Syria groom some Kurdish separatists using the profits from oil and grain sold, the resources which they occupy. <...> The information [on who's backing Islamist groups] which is being floated and it's in the public domain mentions among others the Americans, the Brits. Some people say that Israel is interested in making this situation aggravate. So that Gaza is not under very close scrutiny.

🎙 President of Russia Vladimir Putin summed up the results of the year and answered questions from journalists and the people of Russia in a live broadcast (December 19, 2024)

#Sovereignty

• Russia has become significantly stronger. We are becoming a truly sovereign country. We are capable of firmly standing on our feet when it comes to the economy. We are strengthening our defence capability.

• Sovereignty is extremely important. It comes from within, should be embedded in the heart itself.

#RussianEconomy

• The situation in Russian economy is stable and solid. We are growing in spite of any external threats or attempts at outside influence.

• International financial and economic institutions ranked Russia as Europe’s biggest economy in terms of volume, in terms of purchasing power parity, and the world’s 4th largest economy.

#UkrainianCrisis

• If one were to look at the situation in 2022, knowing what is happening now, I would think the early 2022 decision [to start the special military operation] should have been made sooner.

• We are ready to engage in dialogue without any preconditions. However, as I have mentioned numerous times before, based on the agreements that we reached during the negotiation process in Istanbul at the end of 2022 and proceeding from the current realities on the ground.

• There is no indication in the Ukrainian constitution that the president's powers сould be extended. If one takes part in elections and becomes legitimate, then we will talk to that person, even if it's Zelensky.

#Syria

• Our position firmly aligns with international law and the sovereignty of all nations, including respect for Syria’s territorial integrity. This extends to supporting the stance of the current authorities governing the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.

• The main beneficiary of the developments in Syria is Israel. Russia condemns the seizure of Syrian territories. Our position on this matter is clear and unchanging.

#NuclearDoctrine

• [In the new Basic Principles of State Policy of the Russian Federation on Nuclear Deterrence] we are talking about some new military hazards that may grow into military threats.

• If non-nuclear states threaten our existence, participate in an aggression against the Russian Federation alongside the countries that have nuclear weapons, we consider ourselves entitled to use nuclear weapons vs them.

• If similar threats are posed to Belarus, our ally and member of the Union State, the Russian Federation will consider these threats as threats to Russia. And we will do everything to ensure the security of Belarus.

#Oreshnik

• Medium-range Oreshnik missile system is a modern, a brand new weapon which can strike targets located up to 5'500 km away.

• Our missile needs a few seconds to start dispensing warheads There is no chance of shooting down these missiles.

#BRICS

• BRICS is not a tool for countering the West. We focus on our own interests and the interests of the group’s member countries.

• Ensuring reciprocity, mutual respect and respecting each other’s interests have been our core guiding principles in this effort. We adopt all decisions by consensus.

#RussiaChina

• Everything [Russia and China] do in relation to each other and how we do it is based on absolute trust to policies of both Sides. We engage in nothing that contradicts our interests, and we do much that benefits both the Chinese people and the peoples of the Russian Federation. <...> The bilateral trade volume is estimated at $220-240 billion, and it continues to grow.

#RussiaUSA

• I don’t know when we will meet [with Donald Trump]. I haven't spoken to him for more than four years. I’m ready to talk any time and will be ready to meet with him.

#Victory80

• We will be happy to see all those who wish to visit our country to celebrate the 80th Anniversary of the Victory over Nazism.

• The losses of the US and Britain in World War II are incomparable to those of the Soviet Union. Their contribution varied, yet we all the same cherish their participation.

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🎙 Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview with TASS news agency (December 30, 2024)

Key points:

#Ukraine #USA

• We have not received any official signals [from the USA] regarding a settlement in Ukraine.

• We are not happy with the proposals made by members of the Trump team to postpone Ukraine’s admission to NATO for 20 years and to station British and European peacekeeping forces in Ukraine.

• What we need is reliable and legally binding agreements that would eliminate the root causes of the conflict and seal a mechanism precluding the possibility of their violation.

#RussiaUSA #NATO

• We are ready to renew the political dialogue which Washington terminated after the start of the special military operation, if the United States is ready for this. Since it was the Americans who cut it off, it is for them to make the first move.

• They [the West] have been long relying on efforts to interfere in the domestic affairs of other countries, including our closest neighbours, as their foreign policy tool. For many years, Washington and its satellites have been acting this way in an effort to deter and contain their geopolitical rivals and do away with any unwanted actors, as confirmed by what happened in Yugoslavia, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Ukraine.

#Georgia

• The developments in Georgia stem from the double standards when caring for democracy and human rights serves as a pretext for overturning election results after even the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights with its tainted reputation recognised the election as being free and fair. Why do they want to change the results? Just because the puppet masters in Washington and Brussels did not find the way people voted there to their liking.

• The United States and the European Union are trying to impose a distorted vision on Tbilisi which consists of dividing everyone into those who are with us and those who are against us. Meanwhile, it seems that Georgian authorities have opted for a sovereign policy which meets the country’s national interests. They refuse to act as pawns manipulated by the West in its effort to destabilise Georgia, undermine its economy and incite escalation in its relations with Russia.

#Syria #MiddleEast

• The Syrians’ hopes for improvements after a convincing defeat of international terrorism, including with the help of Russia’s Aerospace Forces, have not materialised.

• Washington, which has effectively occupied the resource-rich north-eastern part of Syria and is putting serious sanctions pressure on Damascus together with a coalition of its satellites, bears a great deal of blame for this. This line for strangling the Syrian economy stirred up social discontent.

• Trying to maintain its influence [in the Middle East and North Africa], Washington actively interfered in the internal affairs of Arab countries and aggressively drew new dividing lines there. Iraq and Libya are still trying to clear up the consequences of the Americans and their satellites’ reckless behaviour.

#China

• The Americans are taking inciting actions in the Taiwan Strait and supplying weapons to Taipei while forging a quasi-political dialogue with the local authorities.

• It is clear to us that this policy pursued by Washington in violation of its obligations to Beijing on Taiwan is part of their strategy to step up military and political pressure on the PRC and eventually undermine regional security at the eastern end of the Eurasian continent.

• Russia reaffirms its adherence to the #OneChina principle, recognises that Taiwan is an inalienable part of the People’s Republic of China, opposes any form of “Taiwan independence,” and firmly supports China’s measures to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity and achieve national reunification.

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About Russian bases in Syria

Syria and Russia signed a new Memorandum of Understanding, stripping Russia of its exclusive control over 2 strategic military bases in Syria. The agreement ends the era of Russia's independent presence in Syria. It concludes 18 months of intensive negotiations between Moscow and the new Syrian leadership after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

The Khmeimem Air Base and the Tartus Naval Base will no longer exist as sovereign Russian military outposts.

Both facilities will be transformed into joint training centers. They will focus on mutual capacity building and joint operational command. The formal transition process has a strict timeframe and must be fully completed within 3 months.

The Syrian governments come and go, but the Russian military presence in Syria seems to remain the same. Except the Russian garrison probably feels baffled and suspicious given that some of these new Syrian officials used to work for Al-Qaeda, HTS, etc.

#Syria #Russia #diplomacy