Sergey Lavrov criticized the statement by the head of European Union diplomacy, Joseph Borrell, about the inadmissibility of allowing Russia and China to take control of Afghanistan.
'Immediately after the United States withdrew from Afghanistan, head of EU for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell said that they must not let Russia and China take control of Afghanistan. If this is what the EU foreign chief believes, I feel sorry for the EU members who have to listen to and support this kind of mindset. Mr Borrell is worried about the wrong thing. he should be preoccupied with the Afghans being able to bring peace to their country as soon as possible. this mentality, “we must not let Russia and China take control of Afghanistan,” is yet another “either or” statement: the countries must choose whether they support the West or Russia and China. it is sad if these kind of people are responsible for the foreign political course of the European Union," Lavrov stressed.
Vladimir Putin said at the United Russia party congress that "I often hear people say that we need a national idea, an image of the future, everybody speaks about that. You know, friends, I avoid high words, but I think that a solid good family with two, three, four or more children should become the future of Russia. There is nothing to invent here."
Children, parental love and generation solidarity are all unquestionable values for all traditions and cultures of Russian multiethnic and multi-religious nation. For Russia to have more children, people and families obviously need prosperity, good jobs, affordable housing, education, healthcare and reliable social guarantees. They need confidence in tomorrow, confidence that the security of Russia and the safety of children and citizens will be properly protected against any threats.
Russia is keeping a close eye on the situation in Afghanistan but will not let its armed forces be drawn into an all-against-all conflict in that country, Vladimir Putin said at the United Russia party congress on Tuesday.
He recalled that the conflict in Afghanistan has been smoldering for decades. "The former Soviet Union has its own experience in that country. We have learned the lesson," Putin said.
"Vaccination is the main weapon against the spread of the virus. Importantly, no one should be forced to get a jab. Pressure, where people may lose their jobs, is even less acceptable. People must be convinced of the need to get the vaccine. This must be done persistently and respectfully. People should be convinced of the need to get vaccinated in order to save their lives and health, and to protect their loved ones," said Vladimir Putin, speaking at the United Russia party congress on Tuesday.
At the United Russia party congress on Tuesday, Vladimir Putin announced a one-time payment for the military: "let everyone receive the same amount regardless of the number of stars on their shoulder straps. Pardon me, everyone should be equal in this case, just like in a bathhouse; this is not debatable."
The Crimea Platform initiative of the Kiev authorities has risen from the falsely interpreted solidarity of EU and NATO members and therefore has no prospects, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday at a press conference following talks with his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto.
On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov participates in a wreath-laying ceremony at the monument to Soviet soldiers-liberators in Budapest, where he is on an official visit.
Russian Defense Minister General of the Army Sergei Shoigu held talks with the Minister of Defense and Military Industry of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Colonel General Mohamed Ahmed Zaki.
During the bilateral meeting, the parties discussed military and military-technical cooperation.
Vladimir Putin participated in the emergency session of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in a video conference format, on Monday.
It was held at Putin’s initiative. The event was conducted in a closed format, in his address, President Putin, like other heads of state and government, expressed deep concern over the events in Afghanistan, the potential threats coming from Afghanistan.
At the Army 2021 forum, on Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with King Adbullah II of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, who is on a working visit to Russia.
Russian President stressed that despite the coronavirus pandemic relations between Russia and Jordan are developing in all areas, including trade and economic ties and political dialogue.
Also, Vladimir Putin suggested they exchange views on the situation in Syria and Afghanistan."Of course, we hope for an exchange of views on the most pressing matters. They are the normalization of the situation in Syria and the current escalation in Afghanistan," the Russian leader said, adding that these topics have been on the agenda of the Russian-Jordanian relations for years.Putin stressed that despite the coronavirus pandemic relations between Russia and Jordan are developing in all areas, including trade and economic ties and political dialogue. He noted that the intergovernmental commission, chaired by Russian Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev, is working actively. "We are also working jointly to combat the pandemic and overcome its impacts," he said.
The Russian president and the King of Jordan walked around the Patriot Park outside Moscow exhibiting pieces of military hardware. The Russian president explained that these weapons are both supplied to the Russian army and exported. In his words, direct contacts with colleagues from the armed forces of foreign countries help build up trust. "Maybe, it is even more important that exhibiting weapons, though it is also important in terms of strengthening stability," he stressed.
Vladimir Putin praised the offensive stance of Russian diplomacy, noting with irony that he even has to remind Sergey Lavrov that he is the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry, not the Defense Ministry.
President said this at a meeting with representatives of the United Russia party on Sunday.
According to him, some time ago, the Russian diplomacy was willing to make any compromises, regardless of their own interests, just to look good in the eyes of their partners, but now the situation has changed dramatically: "Today, the huge enormous professional potential of our diplomatic service fulfils itself and it is working very pragmatically in the national interests of the country. It is not about only talking in well-arranged beautiful interiors anymore. There is a real struggle for the national interests of those states that participate in these discussions," the Russian leader stressed.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s video address to the participants in the conference The Frontiers of Russia: Geopolitics, Regional Studies and Historical Memory, on Monday.
Vladimir Putin participates in the opening ceremony of the Army 2021 international military technical forum and the International Army Games 2021 at the Russian Armed Forces military patriotic park Patriot.
On the eve of the party congress and the upcoming parliamentary elections, on Sunday, Vladimir Putin held a meeting at the Victory Museum on Poklonnaya Hill with the United Russia political party representatives.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova said that despite the protests by the public, Jewish organisations and Russians living in Canada, the Ottawa authorities have refused to take any steps to eradicate a shameful phenomenon like memorials to Nazi criminals from among Ukrainian collaborators who fought in the 14th Waffen-SS (Galician) Division.
There are monuments in different cities, including Edmonton, the capital of the Province of Alberta, where a bust has been installed to SS Hauptsturmfuhrer Roman Shukhevich, who was commander of the 201st Waffen-SS Schutzmannschaft Battalion, as well as to those from the above Galician Division who took part in massacres. the recent high-profile incident, involving some unidentified people, who used red paint to write on this, so called, “memorial” the words true Nazi and Nazi monument, has sparked again a discussion on the unacceptability of glorifying Nazi butchers in Canada, a country that fought against Nazism as part of the anti-Hitler coalition.
The diplomat noted that the majority of Canadians do not sympathise with Stepan Bandera and other Ukrainian warlords who fought with him, to whom the Canadian authorities gave shelter in the wake of WWII. however, quite a few politicians, including some cabinet members, openly support ultra-nationalism with a Russophobic tinge that is being preached by the incumbent regime in Kiev. it is not surprising therefore that the calls by the Canadian Jewish community, including well-known NGOs like B’nai B’rith and the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, to get rid of Nazi symbols have remained a voice in the wilderness.
in addition to this, the media and history textbooks are being used to inculcate “the only true” opinion, which is that Nazi accomplices led by Stepan Bandera and Roman Shukhevich allegedly fought for the independence of Ukraine. at the official level, Nazi Germany is being blasphemously equated to the Soviet Union, which insults the memory of the 27 million Soviet people who lost their lives fighting for the victory over Nazism and also spoils relations between Russia and Canada.
Russia are calling on the Canadian authorities, who speak about their commitment to human rights and democracy and pay lip service to the criticism of any manifestation of xenophobia and anti-Semitism, to take real and effective steps towards the historical truth.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, notes the build-up of the US and NATO military infrastructure near the Russian borders.
The diplomat argues that in Europe as a whole there are no insoluble military-political issues that may require a military solution or a significant presence of military-political blocs. Nonetheless, the reality and NATO's military build-up on our western borders are a compelling sign that the alliance thinks differently.
The NATO leadership, promoting the propaganda thesis about the need to "contain Moscow by force", does not pay attention to real threats and begins to fight them after the world collapses. Because for many years now, they have been focusing and investing enormous resources in ensuring that their audiences - the citizens of their countries - remain aware of what is supposedly the only threat - Russia. in this situation, it is not surprising that they lost sight of the realities and real threats.
Russia calls on NATO members to renew their observance of the principle of military restraint. Concrete constructive proposals to de-escalate tensions in Europe, which Russia had previously submitted to the NATO leadership, remain in place.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on a recent The Times article about Russian submarines spotted off the coast of Ireland, allegedly trying to access underwater internet cables for reconnaissance purposes.
On Saturday, before his trip to Nizhny Novgorod, Vladimir Putin met with President of the Republic of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev in the Kremlin.
Naturally, the main topic of the meeting was the development of the situation in Afghanistan, but I hope that Putin also touched on the topic of manifestation of facts of Russophobia in the country of our Central Asian ally.
The official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, responded to numerous requests, appeals and calls to reconsider the allegedly unfounded decision to revoke media accreditation and the visa of Sarah Rainsford, the BBC's correspondent in Moscow, at her weekly briefing.
During a joint press conference with Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin confirmed, once again, Russia's readiness to continue gas transit through Ukrainian territory even after the completion of the contract in 2024, however, this will depend on the technical condition of the Ukrainian gas pipeline.
Regarding Nord Stream 2, the Russian President also reiterated that this is a purely commercial project, which is beneficial for the end European consumer, since it is 2000 kilometers shorter than the Ukrainian route.
Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel expressed their attitude to the Minsk agreements, answering a question from a German journalist, during a joint press conference on Friday.
During a joint press conference on Friday, Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel answered a question from a Russian (RT) reporter about the failure of the 20-year US-NATO operation in Afghanistan.
During a press conference on Friday, Vladimir Putin answered a question from a German reporter about Navalny, his supporters, the opposition in general, and the fight against corruption.
Putin recalled that Alexei Navalny was convicted not for his political activities, but for a criminal offense against foreign partners. "No one should be using political activity as a front to carry out business projects, which, on top of that, violate the law."
With regard to the non-systemic opposition in general, the President said that "our political system is evolving, and all citizens of the Russian Federation have the right to express their opinions on political issues, form political organisations, and participate in elections of all levels. however, this must be done within the limits of applicable law and the Constitution. we will do our best to keep the situation in Russia stable and predictable. Russia exhausted its limit on revolutions back in the 20th century. we do not want revolutions. what we want is evolutionary development of our society and state."
According to the President, fighting corruption is critically important "but it should not be used as a tool in a political struggle. we, as well as you, are well aware that this toolkit is used to achieve political goals and is recommended for achieving political goals by the organisations that are in charge of activities by people of this kind. indeed, fighting corruption is critically important in and of itself, and it is our top priority, and we will leave no stone unturned in our efforts to eradicate corruption in the broadest sense of the word."
Vladimir Putin and Federal Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany Angela Merkel, who is in Russia on a working visit, are meeting in the Grand Kremlin Palace.
The aerobatic group will demonstrate its updated program to the guests of the ARMY 2021 International Military and Technical Forum.
It includes several new elements. For example, when demonstrating group aerobatics in the composition of six crews, the group will perform a turn and Nesterov loop in a row in the afterburner mode of the engines. After the first disbandment, as part of four crews in a diamond formation, the Russian Knights will perform a bunch of several rotations: a group roll, a loop with a 180-degree turn on the descending part and an ear maneuver, including a combat turn, half roll and half roll.
In addition to Russian Knights, the crews of the aerobatic teams Swifts and Berkuts will show their skills during ARMY 2021 International Military and Technical Forum.
Separately, it should be noted that during the forum pair aerobatics will be demonstrated on Su-57 aircraft.
In total, an air show of more than 30 modern and promising aircraft complexes was planned to demonstrate the flight technical capabilities.
ARMY 2021 International Military and Technical Forum will be held from 22 to 28 August at the Patriot Exhibition and Convention Centre, a full-fledged aviation program will be held at the Kubinka airfield.
To resolve the situation in Afghanistan, the Moscow format can be restored, as the most promising, Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday.
The minister also noted that Russia stands for a national dialogue in this country and is ready to create the necessary conditions for this. Earlier, the Taliban stated that they are open to negotiations with any political forces, and Moscow welcomes this.
Russia supports the latest decisions by the 5+5 Joint Military Commission on the withdrawal of all foreign military personnel from Libya, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters at a news conference on Thursday following talks with Foreign Minister of Libya’s Government of National Unity Najla Mangoush.
Minister added, that foreign troops must be withdrawn from Libyan territory progressively, without tipping the balance towards any side.
As Lavrov recalled, amidst the fighting in Libya, the Tripoli government and the Tobruk-based parliament, being the legitimate political forces in the country, requested military assistance from various sources.
As Lavrov pointed out, the Libyan National Unity Government’s foreign minister informed him at the talks that a consultative mechanism had been established to implement the decision on the withdrawal of all foreign troops from the country.
For her part, Mangoush emphasized that the Libyan government considered the foreign troop pullout as a priority task.
"In the first place, such decisions are intended to avoid the negative lessons of some of our neighbors and prevent foreign troops from pulling out in an ill-devised manner and the country from sliding into chaos. It is necessary to ensure that the national security of Libya is not affected. We are open for dialogue with all states," she stressed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, addressed the athletes, guests and fans of the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup with welcoming speeches, via videoconference.
The 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup got underway at Moscow’s Luzhniki Olympic Complex on Thursday. Russia is hosting this international biannual event for the first time.
After the ceremony, the host, Team RFU (the Russian Football Union), played against Team USA. Also, there was an encounter between the teams of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Tahiti.
The 2021 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Russia takes place between August 19 and 29 in Moscow. Due to international sanctions against Russian sports, the team of Russian beach soccer players is participating in the championship as Team RFU.
Last month, FIFA announced the teams of four groups for the championship and they are: Group A (Team RFU, the United States, Paraguay and Japan), Group B (Mozambique, Spain, the United Arab Emirates and Tahiti), Group C (Belarus, El Salvador, Switzerland and Brazil), Group D (Portugal, Oman, Senegal and Uruguay).
On the eve of the start of the International Army Games - 2021, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu personally tested the track of the most spectacular Tank Biathlon competition, driving a T-80BVM tank.
Vladimir Putin discussed the development of Mordovia with Acting Head of the Republic Artyom Zdunov, via videoconference, on Wednesday.
Mordovia is the leader of the Volga Federal District in terms of indicators in the agro-industrial complex. The unemployment rate in the region is lower than the national average. However, there are many problematic issues that hinder the development of some areas.
According to Sergey Lavrov, Western countries are trying to destabilize the international order by replacing international law and documents that have been agreed and approved by everyone with some kind of rules that, in their opinion, should underlie the international order.
Instead of developing these rules in a multilateral setting, they select narrow groups, mainly Western countries, who make various decisions and present them to the rest of the world as universal and binding rules. For example, instead of resolving issues within the UN framework, where all points of view are presented, West come up with various external platforms.
Russia will not rush to recognize the Taliban as the legitimate authority in Afghanistan, Sergey Lavrov said on Tuesday. At the same time, he called the readiness of the Taliban to conduct a dialogue with the participation of various forces of Afghanistan as a positive signal.
The repair of roads, the launch of comfortable trains and the solution of the problem of defrauded homebuyers, Vladimir Putin discussed with the Governor of the Ivanovo Region Stanislav Voskresensky in the Kremlin on Tuesday.
The Ivanovo region is one of the smallest in Russia, but at the same time the Russian textile industry is concentrated here. This is every third local enterprise. Plus metalworking, agriculture, mechanical engineering. Investments in these sectors have made the region a leader in investment in Central Russia. However, Vladimir Putin drew attention to a sensitive issue - the so-called accumulated environmental damage from chemical industries, including abandoned ones.
The governor said that 450 kilometers of roads were repaired in the region last year. Railways are also developing. A modern and convenient station has been built in Ivanovo, and since 2018, when a high-speed connection to Moscow was launched with the support of the president, the passenger traffic has amounted to 2.5 million passengers. Also, Putin urged to pay attention to the problem of defrauded homebuyers.
The head of the region expressed gratitude to the president for supporting the light industry in the pandemic. Thanks to verified measures, local enterprises were able to reorganize and over the past year came to the third place in the country in terms of online sales, after Moscow and St Petersburg.
Russia's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Vasily Nebenzya called on all forces in Afghanistan to promote a peaceful settlement, at a meeting of the UN Security Council on Monday.
He stressed the importance of avoiding civilian bloodshed. Russia calls on all Afghan parties to refrain from hostilities and to promote a peaceful settlement. "We presume that the international community is obliged not to abandon its efforts to help Afghanistan. As for our further steps, official steps towards the new Afghan authorities, we will determine these steps depending on the development of the situation and their specific actions."
Vladimir Putin, on Monday, discussed in the Kremlin the consequences of the devastating 2019 flood in the Irkutsk Region with Governor Igor Kobzev.
Igor Kobzev began his report with the instructions that the President had given earlier. They concerned restoration of infrastructure in the regions that had been damaged in flash floods in 2019. At present, 75 percent of the instructions have been implemented. The issue of social payments has been settled. In all, 954 residential buildings were supposed to be built; as of today, 749 of them have been made ready for use. There are some 149 families left. The Governor promised that this issue will be settled before the end of the year.
According to the Governor, the interagency commission found 7,810 residential premises to be in a state of disrepair. Igor Kobzev thanked the Government and the governmental commission led by Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, who coordinates the relevant efforts, for their assistance.
There are plans for 266 measures devoted to the infrastructure restoration. Twenty-seven social facilities out of 108 will be restored next year. Large companies and state corporations have provided assistance. Tulun, the city that suffered the most, has been largely restored. Work is underway to repair the utility networks in Nizhneudinsk and other areas.
The Governor added that the new and reinforced dams prevented floods in 2020 and 2021, resisting peak flows.
He also mentioned the environmental agenda: the elimination of a major chemical pollution site of the former company Usolyekhimprom and remedial action following the activity of the Baikal Pulp and Paper Mill.
Answering the President’s question about whether there had been a shortfall in revenue due to the tax manoeuvre by the Government, Igor Kobzev said that this year, the region’s companies provided some 30 billion rubles in mineral tax to the federal budget; the annualised income tax has reduced by 4.5 billion rubles. In this regard, the Governor asked for assistance, adding that at the end of the year, regions facing economic hardships would receive subsidies. He also reminded the President about the high cost of the federal-scale emergency to the regional budget. The President suggested that the Governor prepare and submit relevant documents.
Vladimir Putin, via videoconference, meeting on mitigating the effects of flash floods and wildfires in several Russian regions.
President called natural disasters unprecedented in a number of Russian regions. The main ones are wildfires in Yakutia and more than heavy rains on the Black Sea coast.
The deep submersibles of Russia’s Defense Ministry have discovered the Mi-8 helicopter that sank in Lake Kurilskoye in Kamchatka at the depth of about 110 meters.
Its tailpiece is missing but the rest of the body is intact. 15 rescue workers of the Emergencies Ministry and three deep submersibles with operators dispatched by the Defense Ministry are working at the crash site. Specialists are working out how to raise the helicopter from this depth.
On August 12, a Mi-8 helicopter of the Vityaz-Aero Airline carrying three crewmembers and 13 passengers crashed into a lake in the Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka. Eight people were rescued while eight have been listed as missing for the second day in a row. Investigators have opened a criminal case into the crash.
Vladimir Putin held a videoconference briefing with permanent members of the Security Council on the international cooperation in defence and security, on Friday.
