🇷🇺🇺🇳 Permanent Mission of the Russian Federation to the UN:

🎙Statement by Permanent Representative Vassily Nebenzia at UNSC briefing regarding the attacks against Belgorod (December 30, 2023)

💬 Let me ask where these people are today. Where are the representatives of EU member states, who come in packs and bunches to request to take the floor at meetings on Ukraine in order to read their tired propaganda on camera?

❓Where is the representative of the Czech Republic, whose missiles killed civilians in Belgorod?

❓ Where is the representative of Poland, who yesterday told us about the missile that flew into its territory, which 500 soldiers of the territorial defense troops of the Lublin province were looking for and could not find?

❓ Where is the representative of the European Union?

Make no illusions and drop the pretenses. Brussels, along with Washington and London, as well as the majority of EU countries, are complicit in the crimes committed by the Kiev clique.

Today members of the Security Council have a chance to do their duty and give an objective assessment of the terrorist attack of the Kiev regime against the peaceful Russian city of Belgorod.

👉 Let me stress that this was not some shards. The footage clearly showed a missile approaching. Here you can see the effect of this attack.

One of the targets was the Dynamo sports complex in Belgorod, where youth gymnastics classes were held at that moment. Another was a skating rink in Belgorod city center. In order to increase the number of victims of the terrorist attack, cluster munitions were used

So this was a deliberate indiscriminate combined strike against a peaceful city.

This shelling of the central part of the city has killed 18 people, including three children. 108 people have been wounded, 5 children and 12 adults are in critical condition (update as of morning December 31: 22 people killed, 109 people wounded).

☝️ All organizers and perpetrators of this and other crimes of the Kiev junta will be inevitably punished.

Read in full

🎉Поздравление Посла России А.В.Келина с Новым 2024 годом

Дорогие друзья, соотечественники!

Это был непростой год для нас и нашей Родины. Наши недоброжелатели, поставили цель нанести нам стратегическое поражение и удержать ускользающее доминирование в мировых делах. Россия должным образом ответила на брошенные ей вызовы.

Сегодня ясно главное – Россия не только выдержала этот натиск, но становится сильнее и крепче. Мы показали миру нерушимое единство нашего народа, его готовность отстаивать свой суверенитет и право самостоятельно распоряжаться своей судьбой. Мощный импульс придан построению по-настоящему справедливого многополярного мира, в котором нет места, блоковым подходам и санкционному шантажу. На нашей стороне – подавляющее большинство стран земного шара.

В канун Нового года каждому из нас естественно задуматься о пройденном пути и достижениях, подводить итоги. Разумеется, надо подумать и о будущем. Хочу заверить, что в планах нашего посольства – продолжать делать все необходимое для наших соотечественников, разделяющих любовь к устоям, культуре и традициям нашей великой страны.

Важно, что, несмотря на сложнейшие внешние условия, консолидация российской общины в Великобритании продолжается. В истекающем году значительно возросла её общественная и культурно-гуманитарная деятельность. С большим успехом прошли творческие вечера, образовательные конференции, показы российских фильмов и другие мероприятия. Все они наглядно продемонстрировали ущербность деструктивных попыток «отменить Россию». Главное состоит в том, что мы встретили широкую поддержку в самых различных уголках Великобритании, где хорошо помнят о связях с Россией.

Мы вступаем в новый 2024 год. В нем будет многое. Одно из главных – предстоящие в марте выборы Президента Российской Федерации. Они станут для наших граждан возможностью продемонстрировать свою силу, зрелость и единство по ключевым вопросам судьбы нашей страны.

Уверен, что следующий год будет лучше того, который заканчивается. Россию не сломить. Победить нас невозможно.

Хотел бы пожелать вам и вашим близким крепкого здоровья, благополучия и счастья в Новом году!

С Новым годом!

Смотреть поздравление

🌐 Last year, the Russian diplomatic service pursued a foreign policy course determined by President Vladimir Putin in a situation of heightened confrontation with the collective West.

The main goals were to provide political and diplomatic support for the special military operation and to expand cooperation with countries and associations that make up the Global Majority.

👉 Main foreign policy results in 2023

1️⃣ An important milestone in 2023 was the update of the doctrine underlying Russia's foreign policy: on March 31, the President of Russia approved a new version of the Foreign Policy Concept of the Russian Federation.

2️⃣ Russia made significant efforts to develop relations with neighbouring countries, as well as the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

3️⃣ Integration with Belarus has advanced significantly. The partner countries began working on an interstate treaty on security guarantees and the Union State security concept.

4️⃣ Amid geopolitical turbulence, Eurasian integration associations that include Russia have successfully demonstrated their resilience.

5️⃣ The progress in relations with the Central Asian states was advanced by the 6th foreign ministers' meeting in the CA5+Russia format in Samarkand in April.

6️⃣ Russia contributed to the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalisation process based on the trilateral agreements of the leaders. Visas were abolished for short-term trips to Russia by Georgian citizens, and direct flights between our countries were resumed.

7️⃣ Russian-Chinese relations reached an unprecedented level in 2023. After his re-election as President of the People's Republic of China, Xi Jinping made his first foreign visit to Russia in March. President of Russia Vladimir Putin visited China to take part in the third Belt and Road International Forum in October.

👉 Learn more about other foreign policy results

⚡️ Main foreign policy results in 2023

Per tradition, at the end of each year we summarize the outcomes of the Russia's foreign policy, implemented by the MFA and determined by President Vladimir Putin.

👉 Points 1-7

8️⃣ Russia maintained an intensive political dialogue with India, including in the context of the country's chairmanship of the #SCO and the #G20, reinforcing the Russian-Indian special and privileged strategic partnership.

9️⃣ President Vladimir Putin's meeting with Chairman of State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea Kim Jong-un at the Vostochny Cosmodrome brought Russian-North Korean relations to a new level.

1️⃣0️⃣ Important joint steps were taken to expand Russian-Iranian relations. In particular, the parties signed an agreement on the construction of the Rasht-Astara railway, and the foreign ministers signed a Declaration on the Ways and Means to Counter, Mitigate and Redress the Adverse Impacts of Unilateral Coercive Measures.

1️⃣1️⃣ The launch of the mechanism of regular dialogue at the level of foreign ministers accelerated cooperation between the Caspian states.

1️⃣2️⃣ Relations with Türkiye reached a strategic level in the field of peaceful nuclear energy: in particular, Russia began supplying nuclear fuel to the Akkuyu nuclear power plant.

1️⃣3️⃣ Russia gained a stronger foothold in the Middle East. Relations with the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council, primarily the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. There was progress in relations with the League of Arab States.

1️⃣4️⃣ The second Russia-Africa Summit held in St Petersburg in July marked the culmination of collaborative efforts to significantly enhance ties in this promising area of Russia's foreign policy.

1️⃣5️⃣ The expansion of traditional partnerships with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean was central to the agenda of the successful political dialogue with regional states at the highest and high levels.

👉 Learn more about other foreign policy results

🎙 New Year Address to the Nation by President Vladimir Putin

💬 We are bidding farewell to 2023.

The main thing which has united us is the destiny of the Motherland. There is a deep understanding of the utmost importance of the historic period which Russia is going through, those large-scale objectives which society is facing and the colossal responsibility for the Motherland which every one of us feels.

Work for the collective good has united society. We are united in our thoughts, tasks and in combat, whether at work or on days off, displaying the main traits of the Russian people – solidarity, mercy and firmness.

I would like to address our military personnel – everyone who is on duty, who is on the front lines fighting for truth and justice. You are our heroes. Our hearts are with you. We are proud of you and we admire your courage.

I am well aware that now you feel the love of those nearest and dearest to you, the powerful, sincere support of millions of Russian citizens, the support of the entire people.

We have proved over and over again that we are able to tackle the most difficult tasks and we will never back down as there is no force that can divide us, make us forget the memory and the faith of our fathers, or stop our development.

The upcoming year of 2024 has been declared the Year of the Family in our country. And a truly big family is definitely a family where children grow up, where parents are given attention, and treated with warm-heartedness and care, and where everyone loves and respects each other.

I would like to convey my very best wishes for the new year to all Russian families. After all, the history of our huge, wonderful and beloved Motherland is shaped by the history of each family. We – the multinational people of Russia – decide and create its fate.

We are one country, one big family. We will ensure the steady development of the Motherland, the well-being of our citizens, and we will become even stronger.

Happy New Year, friends! Happy 2024!

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🎙 Address by Russia's President Vladimir Putin on the start of Russia's BRICS Chairmanship

💬 On January 1, Russia was passed the baton of the #BRICS chairmanship, an association which, according to the decision adopted by the 15th BRICS Summit in August 2022, now includes 10 countries.

Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates joined BRICS as new full members which is a strong indication of the growing authority of the association and its role in international affairs.

BRICS is attracting an ever increasing number of supporters and like-minded countries that share its underlying principles, namely, sovereign equality, respect for the chosen path of development, mutual consideration of interests, openness, consensus, the aspiration to form a multipolar international order and a fair global financial and trade system, and pursuit of collective solutions to top challenges of our time.

The Russian 2024 BRICS Chairmanship under the motto Strengthening Multilateralism for Equitable Global Development and Security will act precisely in this manner and focus on positive and constructive cooperation with all countries concerned.

🔸 We will spare no effort to <...> facilitate the harmonious integration of new participants in all formats of its activities.

🔸 We will start working on the modalities of a new category of BRICS partner country.

🔸 Russia will continue to promote all aspects of the BRICS partnership in three key areas: politics and security, economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian contacts.

🔸 Our priorities include promoting cooperation in science, high technology, healthcare, environmental protection, culture, sports, youth exchanges, and civil society.

🔸 In total, over 200 events of different levels and types will be held in many Russian cities as part of the chairmanship.

Read in full

🇷🇺 Russia assumes CIS chairmanship on January 1, 2024

The Concept for Russia’s chairmanship of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) in 2024 has been published.

Russia will chair the Commonwealth of Independent States under the Concept of the Further Development of the CIS, endorsed by a CIS Heads of State Council resolution on December 18, 2020; the Economic Development Strategy of the CIS for the Period up to 2030 adopted by a resolution of the CIS Heads of Government on May 29, 2020, and other CIS fundamental programme documents.

Russia’s chairmanship of the CIS will be aimed at ensuring the continuity of its activities and reaching a number of goals, in part,

👉 to continue strengthening the CIS as an integration association;
👉 increase its international status;
👉 enhancing the CIS’s role as a representative venue for multilateral political dialogue on a broad range of issues;
👉 deepening its economic integration with a view to creating a common economic space;
👉 upgrading the mechanisms for countering, through cooperation, traditional and new challenges and threats to the security of the CIS member-states;
👉 promoting cooperation in the military area and on border security; expanding cultural and humanitarian interaction;
👉 aligning CIS activities with other integration associations with a view to creating a Greater Eurasian Partnership that unites the potential of all states and organisations of the region; and improving the CIS’s contractual and legal foundation and cooperation institutions.

An meaningful part of Russia’s chairmanship will be a support for measures to counter the falsification of history and attempts to rehabilitate Nazism, and to preserve the historical memory of the Great Patriotic War, including the genocide of the Soviet peoples.

In this context, special attention will be paid to preparations for holding the Year of the 80th anniversary of Victory in the Great Patriotic War in the CIS in 2025 – the Year of Peace and Unity in the Fight against Nazism.

⚡️ Foreign Ministry statement on the Kiev regime’s latest terrorist attack on the Russian city of Donetsk

❌ Armed formations of Ukrainian neo-Nazis, with support of the Western countries, continue to carry out terrorist attacks against Russian civilians. It is clear that they have nothing human in them. Neither the New Year nor the Christmas holidays stop them.

On New Year’s Eve, the city centre and other residential areas of Donetsk, including civilian infrastructure, were subjected to a massive attack from multiple launch rocket systems. It is already known that there are four dead and more than fourteen injured. According to preliminary reports, the victim includes journalists who were doing their job in the city.

Russian law enforcement promptly opened an investigation into this crime.

❗️ All those involved and responsible for this and other terrorist attacks on the territory of Russia will inevitably face punishment.

A couple of days ago, Zelensky turned to Hitler’s rhetoric again and called Russians “human scum,” once again demonstrating that Ukraine, which is infected with Nazism that has molded into terrorism, must be completely denazified and demilitarised. This will certainly be done. The Kiev regime and its leaders, who worship the criminals of the Third Reich, will end up just like their idols, elevated to the rank of heroes there.

We call on all responsible governments and relevant international organisations to dissociate themselves from the actions and decisions of the Kiev junta, to condemn its crimes aimed at the ostentatious, cynical destruction of the civilian population. Silence is regarded by Ukrainian neo-Nazis as approval of their actions.

☝️ At the same time, the West must understand that the criminal regime it has nurtured and sponsored, which the Westerners support to attack Russia, will one day turn NATO weapons against NATO countries.

🎙 Excerpts from President Vladimir Putin's remarks during his visit to Vishnevsky Central Military Clinical Hospital (January 1, 2024)

💬 The situation on the battlefield is changing. This is despite the fact that the entire "civilised" West is fighting us. <...>

The most important thing we have is, of course, the unity of our people and society, because there is an understanding of how important the job you are doing on the battlefield is in the armed struggle for our country and our future. <...>

The problem is not with Ukraine, but with those who are trying to destroy Russia using Ukraine. That is the problem. But they will fail: it is simply out of the question.

The realisation is starting to dawn on them, and the rhetoric is changing: those who were talking just yesterday about the need to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia are now looking for the right words on how to quickly end the conflict.

☝️ We also want to end the conflict, as quickly as possible, but only on our terms. We have no desire to fight endlessly, but we are not going to cede our positions either.

Read in full

#Opinion by Maria Zakharova

💬 UK Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps wrote on his X account: “The world has turned its back on Russia, forcing Putin into the humiliation of going cap in hand to North Korea to keep his illegal invasion going. In doing so Russia has broken multiple UNSC resolutions and put the security of another world region at risk. This must stop now. Together with our partners we’ll make sure North Korea pays a high price for supporting Russia.”

1. Is Grant Shapps about to tweet how many UNSC resolutions the UK has breached in the past 50 years? With its invasion of Iraq, for example.

2. What about the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)? Have the ministries in London worked it out? Also, I believe they should shed light on what happened to HMS Sheffield, which sank near the Falklands in 1982. Specifically, whether there were nuclear weapons on board. Let me remind you that in the photos of the Sheffield crew that survived the sinking, the crew members were, oddly enough, wearing radiation protection gear. At the time, Shapps’s predecessors at the Ministry of Defence denied the fact that the warships bound for the islands carried nuclear weapons. But 20 years later, similar to the situation with Iraq, London acknowledged its small lie. A very small one. Britain could no longer deny it and confirmed that the ships had indeed been carrying nuclear weapons in 1982. The official spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence stated that “the weapons were Type WE.177 nuclear depth charges;” they “never entered the territorial waters of the Falkland Islands.” “A decision was taken to transfer them to other ships heading back home.” This should be verified, don’t you think?

3. I understand that poor English education has become a signature mark of the British government. Shapps could perform a simple calculation and subtract the number of NATO countries from the countries representing the Global Majority. Unfortunately, it seems like he struggles with counting.

4. Britain was the largest colonial empire in human history, with its domain spanning across all populated continents. You can learn more about this in our history section and the white book reports about the crimes of the Anglo-Saxons and their allies.

And since Shapps’s jab was specifically about North Korea, I must mention the bloody war on the Korean Peninsula that Great Britain contributed to as part of the so-called UN forces.

Here is just a brief list of London’s modern-time neo-colonial campaigns: British ground and air forces participated, alongside the Americans, in the aggression against Yugoslavia and the destruction of Iraq (see par. 1) and its population, as well as Libya, Afghanistan, the bombing of Syria and most recently – the support for the Kiev regime provided by the Anglo-Saxons in violation of all resolutions on non-supplying lethal weapons to conflict zones.

There is one thing that Shapps got right: “This must stop now.”

https://xn--r1a.website/MariaVladimirovnaZakharova/6856

☦️ Heartfelt congratulations to all Christians, in Russia and abroad, who celebrate Orthodox Christmas on January 7.

🙏 Love, well-being and best wishes!

#Christmas2023 #OrthodoxChristmas

#Outcomes2023

⚡️On January 18 at 11 am, the Foreign Ministry Press Centre will host a news conference by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the 2023 Russian diplomacy results.

Russian and foreign media representatives are invited.

Accreditation is open until 12 noon on January 15.

Read in full

Regrettable that the Guardian has stooped to venerating members of the neo-Nazi "Azov" battalion whose record of using fascist Wolfsangel insignia & despicable war crimes in Donbass has been widely documented.

Uncritically publishing such "odysseys" demonstrates lamentable disregard for the basic ethical standards of journalism.

🔴 Watch #LIVE: UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine

🔗 https://webtv.un.org/en

🔗 https://twitter.com/RussiaUN/status/1745098881765884004

🇷🇺🇨🇳📞 On January 10, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov spoke over the phone with Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China Wang Yi.

🤝 The Ministers summed up and spoke positively of the key outcomes of cooperation in 2023, expressing satisfaction with the high tempo of the political dialogue and practical cooperation, which are marked by stability and positive dynamics amid the global geopolitical instability.

They focused on the implementation of agreements reached at the top political level and highlighted the importance of Russian-Chinese strategic interaction to create a just multipolar international order and, in particular, to ensure that the foundations of Eurasian security are solid.

📈 They noted that bilateral trade and economic cooperation has successfully overcome external challenges, with Russia-China trade passing the $200 billion mark as of the end of the year.

Sergey Lavrov and Wang Yi touched on a number of priority items on the international agenda, including the Ukraine crisis, the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula and the Asia-Pacific region in general.

They underscored their rejection of the Western bloc’s confrontational policy towards Russia and China, and the attempts to hold back their development using sanctions, deliberate provocations and other illegitimate means.

☝️ They also noted the purely constructive nature of interaction between Moscow and Beijing within the #UN, the #SCO, #BRICS and other multilateral formats, which is not directed against third countries. The Chinese side expressed support for Russia’s BRICS chairmanship. The Ministers exchanged views on ways to facilitate China’s contacts with the #CIS.

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🎙 Foreign Minister Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova’s comment on the Copenhagen-format meeting in Davos on Ukraine

💬 On January 14, Davos, Switzerland, will be hosting the fourth Copenhagen-format meeting on Ukraine. Its organisers – Kiev and Bern.

The Kiev regime, together with the Group of Seven members, will once again use deceit in order to persuade the countries of the Global South and East to support the would-be peaceful proposals stemming from the so-called Zelensky formula, an infamously odious framework.

The Foreign Ministry has consistently criticised the Zelensky formula and the Copenhagen-format meetings designed to promote it for their shortcomings, hypocrisy and lack of connection to reality.

1️⃣ The Zelensky formula consists of a series of ultimatums targeting Russia. <…> Ultimatums of this kind cannot serve as a foundation for launching talks.

2️⃣ Ukraine has enacted a legal ban on holding talks with the Russian leadership. As long as this ban remains in place, discussing any proposals will not yield tangible results.

3️⃣ Discussing a settlement in Ukraine without involving Russia is senseless.

4️⃣ Kiev has been pushing the ultimatums contained in the Zelensky formula as the only possible solution with no room for alternatives. In doing so, Kiev and its masters have monopolised the right to put forward peace initiatives, effectively blocking all reasonable ideas from other countries, primarily from the Global South and East.

5️⃣ Zelensky has been bombing civilian sites with cluster munitions in Belgorod, Donetsk and other Russian cities, intentionally killing civilians, all while preparing the Davos meeting to discuss the prospects of a peace settlement.

All of this demonstrates the true intentions of the leadership in Kiev, Washington, London and Brussels.

❗️ We are convinced that our partners in Asia, Africa and Latin America fully understand the reality of the situation and will not allow themselves to be drawn into openly anti-Russian initiatives.

Read in full

#Opinion by Maria Zakharova

💬 On the evening of January 7, at Via Acca Larentia in Rome, the former headquarters of the Italian Social Movement (MSI), a neo-fascist party dissolved in 1995, an annual rally was held by people adhering to its ideology. Though officially this party has not existed for almost 30 years, its activities and followers to some extent laid the foundations of the neo-fascist trends in present-day Italian society.

One can recall that MSI was founded in 1946 by former members of Benito Mussolini’s fascist party and the ideologues of the Italian Social Republic, who remained loyal to the ideology of fascism and could not accept the defeat of fascism in World War II. Their dream was to revive the principles of nationalism. The MSI party was perfectly legal in Italy for years and even had representatives in parliament. The annual rally in Rome marked the anniversary of the assassination of three MSI members, who were killed on January 7, 1978 by far-left militants in an armed attack on the MSI headquarters.

In a video that spread around the world, brown-shirted participants in the January 7, 2024 rally are seen raising their hands in the so-called Roman salute. Surely this was no accident at an event as thoroughly planned and organised as this one.

But what was the official reaction?

At first, everyone just kept quiet. Then, instead of coming out with an official and public denunciation, they invented their latest tale of “Russian hackers”, with the con artists at la Repubblica claiming to have identified three Russians in the crowd.

The official silence was broken by President of the Senate of the Republic Ignazio La Russa, but the effect was unnerving. He said that Italy’s Supreme Court of Cassation should explain when this “salute” qualifies a political gesture expressive of an ideological commitment, versus when it’s just a “private” one. He seems to be hinting that the “Roman salute” (the fascist raising of the right hand) may be interpreted as a gesture of remembrance for the fallen, which simultaneously honours their ideology, in which case “it’s different” and therefore permissible.

The world majority must know that the West supports the Kiev regime because, among other things, neo-Nazis came to power in Ukraine, whom NATO countries are so fond of.

This is why keeps mum, when, for example, Waffen-SS veterans march in the Baltic states' capitals together with descendants and admirers of local collaborators who killed civilians during World War II. This is why keeps mum when politicians and demonstrators shout the Nazi slogan “Glory to Ukraine,” or unashamedly give fascist salutes like on January 7 in Rome.

It is for this reason that the overwhelming majority of EU and NATO countries vote against the UN General Assembly resolution against the glorification of Nazism.

The West hates Russia for its principled stand against any manifestations of neo-Nazism or attempts to rewrite history. Russia is committed to preserving true historical memory, and for this they are using the Kiev regime as a proxy to wage a hybrid war and take revenge on our country.

Russian MFA Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova:

❗️ The US air strikes in #Yemen are the latest example of the Anglo-Saxons’ distortion of UN Security Council resolutions and total disregard for international law, aimed at escalating the situation in the region to achieve their destructive objectives.

Further detail of Russia's position 👉 watch LIVE at our weekly briefing

О Борисе Джонсоне, отрицающем очевидное

В западной прессе появились высказывания экс-премьера Великобритании Б.Джонсона, пытающегося отрицать свою ответственность за срыв переговоров между Россией и Украиной весной 2022 г.

Разумеется, при этом англичанин прикрывается фразами о происках «российской пропаганды». Однако давайте разберемся с фактами.

Ни для кого не секрет, что в ходе серии интенсивных переговоров между Москвой и Киевом в феврале-апреле 2022 г. был подготовлен проект «Договора о постоянном нейтралитете и гарантиях безопасности Украины».

Это открывало возможность прекратить боевые действия, избежать затягивания пагубного для Украины конфликта, гарантировать мирный внеблоковый статус страны и, главное, предотвратить новые жертвы и разрушения.

Проект Договора был близок к тому, чтобы считаться приемлемым для обеих сторон и поэтому был парафирован руководителем украинской переговорной группы Д.Арахамией.

Способность экс-премьера отрицать очевидное давно стала нарицательной. Однако опубликованные прессой слова самого Б.Джонсона вызывают вопрос: а что именно он пытается опровергнуть?

👉Как следует из его высказываний, опубликованных 11 января с.г. в изданиях «Таймс» и «Уолл Стрит Джорнэл», в ходе резонансного визита 9 апреля 2022 г. в Киев Б.Джонсон добивался, чтобы В.Зеленский отказался подписывать упомянутый Договор, мотивируя это своим недоверием к договоренностям с Москвой. Прямо заявил, что «любая сделка с Россией будет весьма гнилой» (any deal with Putin was going to be pretty sordid). Рекомендовал продолжать боевые действия, ведь «Россия должна проиграть» (Putin must fail). Обещал продолжительную поддержку, новые транши военных поставок, включая зенитные и противотанковые ракеты, и кредитно-финансовую помощь.

Мало того, по завершении визита кабинет премьер-министра на Даунинг-стрит расставил все точки над «i». В правительственном пресс-релизе без обиняков было заявлено, что в Киеве Б.Джонсон «предостерег от любых переговоров с Россией на условиях, которые могут породить доверие к продвигаемым Кремлем ложным основаниям для вторжения».

❗Ясно, что зафиксированное в проекте договора краеугольное положение о постоянном нейтралитете Украины никак не соотносилось с пониманием в Лондоне и Вашингтоне «условий», на которых мог бы быть завершен конфликт. Не для этого натовцы, цинично воспользовавшись Минскими соглашениями, в течение предшествовавших восьми лет планомерно готовили ВСУ к военному столкновению с Россией, о чем сам Б.Джонсон в весьма колоритных выражениях рассказал «под микрофон», когда в интервью с украинским телеканалом «Рада ТВ» назвал Минский комплекс мер «дипломатической шарадой».

На этом фоне самооправдательные оговорки экс-премьера, будто конечное решение оставалось за украинцами, – «в пользу бедных». Очевидно, что тогда В.Зеленскому хватило и подобного недвусмысленного сигнала от «главного доброжелателя», чтобы выйти из переговорного процесса.

Таким образом, как мы видим, между резонансным признанием Д.Арахамии о том, что Б.Джонсон целенаправленно сорвал российско-украинские переговоры, указав киевским властям на необходимость «просто продолжать драться», и нынешними попытками оправдаться самого экс-премьера, по сути, нет противоречия.

Заодно напомним, что к началу СВО премьерство Б.Джонсона уже висело на волоске. А потому украинский конфликт был воспринят им как перспективный шанс реанимировать свою карьеру. Ни о каком радении за будущее Украины и украинцев речи, конечно, не шло – только самопиар и политическое выживание.

Последствия тогдашнего вояжа Б.Джонсона в Киев для самой Украины, на поверку, оказались трагическими. Но понимает ли сам бывший премьер, какую ответственность он за это несет? Хотя, наверное, в нынешней ситуации это ему безразлично.