Lavrov Talks with Yemeni PM Abdullah bin Mubarak & Press

The world keeps turning on its axis and thus we have a new day loaded with more events. Russia’s relations with Yemen are 95 years old, which IMO is quite notable given the nature of the previous century. The PM’s full title is Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Republic of Yemen, so he wears multiple hats. Lavrov wore a black suit today in place of his usual blue; perhaps it’s new. Perhaps it’s for the earlier meeting of Russophiles that happened today. There’re a few sharp remarks and an excellent retort to Macron’s inanity from yesterday. All emphasis is mine:

Ladies and gentlemen,

We held in-depth talks with Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Republic of Yemen Abdullah bin Mubarak. In the first half of the day, Abdullah bin Mubarak met with Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Overchuk. Particular attention was paid to the development of trade and economic ties.

Today, we reviewed the political dialogue between Russia and Yemen and cooperation on regional and international problems, which, unfortunately, are accumulating. We emphasised the commitment of both sides to the traditionally friendly Russian-Yemeni ties based on the principles of equality and mutual respect.

In November 2023, we celebrated the 95th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations and stated that all these long years we have preserved and multiplied the traditions of mutually beneficial cooperation, which in the past laid the foundation for the development of our partnership in all areas. Today, we confidently rely on this foundation.

We discussed the possibility of stepping up trade and economic ties in the context of the discussions that took place today in the Government of the Russian Federation. We proceed from the premise that the settlement of the military-political crisis in Yemen is taking place against the backdrop of the current tense geopolitical situation. Ties between Russia and the Republic of Yemen have good prospects, but so far they have been moderately influenced. Trade between our countries in 2023 has increased significantly even in these difficult conditions.

We agreed to make joint efforts to ensure concrete steps to use the solid potential for the further growth of our economic ties. The focus was on the current situation in the Republic of Yemen and the prospects for its development. We expressed our conviction that the increase in tension in the adjacent waters of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, which arose in connection with the shelling of commercial ships by the Yemeni Houthis, was largely a consequence of the unprecedented escalation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, as well as the crisis in Yemen that has dragged on for 9 years. We do not condone the shelling of commercial ships, whatever the justification. But we also cannot approve of the aggressive actions taken by the United States and Britain against the territory of the Republic of Yemen, which do not have any international mandate in the form of a UN Security Council resolution.

We have repeatedly warned that the continuation of violence in and around the Gaza Strip will constantly generate additional military and political risks in the region. But instead of joining the collective efforts to de-escalate, the United States and Britain chose a military response.

We agree with our Yemeni friends that ensuring the safety of international navigation in the Red Sea should be a priority for all responsible members of the international community. It needs to be resolved by political and diplomatic means. The US Operation Guardian of Prosperity resulted in missile and bomb strikes on the territory of Yemen, provoked a further expansion of the zone of hostilities and an increase in their intensity with all the ensuing negative consequences, including for civilian shipping. Due to the methods used to achieve it, the goal turned out to be even more distant and difficult to achieve.

We are concerned that until the end of the armed confrontation and the stabilisation of the situation in the Red Sea, it is unlikely that it will be possible to start implementing the road map for a Yemeni settlement and launch an inclusive national dialogue under the auspices of the UN. In this sense, the above-mentioned military "adventure" of Washington and London actually disrupts the corresponding diplomatic efforts of our partners in Saudi Arabia, the Sultanate of Oman, and UN Secretary-General's Special Envoy Helmut Grumberg.

We compared notes on other current regional issues, primarily the Middle East settlement in the light of the ongoing aggravation of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. We agree on the need to take urgent measures in the interests of an early ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors. This would make it possible to avoid new casualties and provide the necessary assistance to civilians affected by the hostilities. Unfortunately, this is the fourth resolution that has been submitted to the UN Security Council calling for a ceasefire. The first of them was introduced on October 15, 2023 by the Russian Federation, and the fourth by Algeria on February 18, 2024.

We noted the need to step up efforts to create the necessary conditions for the early resumption of the negotiation process between the Palestinians and Israelis on all final status issues, bearing in mind the creation of a full-fledged functional Palestinian state in full compliance with UN decisions, in parallel with the continuation of work on a ceasefire and the provision of humanitarian assistance.

We spoke briefly about the situation in Ukraine and around it in connection with other events in our common geopolitical space. I expressed gratitude to my Yemeni colleagues for their balanced position, understanding of the reasons for what is happening and taking appropriate actions when considering this issue at the UN.

I confirmed what President of Russia Vladimir Putin has said more than once about our approaches to resolving this situation, which has been created by the West for many years as a threat to the Russian Federation. Our position is well known: we are defending our legitimate security interests and the rights of millions of Russian people guaranteed by international conventions, who were deprived of their legal rights by the putschists after the coup d'état in Ukraine.

I would like to thank Prime Minister Abdullah bin Mubarak for a fruitful and trust-based exchange of views.

Question: As you know, the situation in the Red Sea is tense. How do Ansar Allah's strikes affect global trade? What solution do you see?

Sergey Lavrov (speaking after Abdullah bin Mubarak): I can only confirm all the main assessments made by my colleague and friend.

I would like to add that the impact of the Houthis' actions in the Red Sea on world trade is comparable to that of the illegal sanctions against Russia on the flow of goods between different countries. As for the security of the routes, we remember how the West encouraged the Ukrainians to use the supposedly safe corridors allocated during the period when UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' initiative on Black Sea grain, which has left a sad memory, was in effect. The impact is on the dramatically complicated logistics of delivering goods from one point to another, as well as on increased insurance rates.

We observed all these phenomena, which directly harm world trade, long before the crisis in the Red Sea in connection with the Houthi shelling began. For more than two years, this has been the effect of the West's illegal aggressive actions as part of a campaign of unprecedented sanctions.

Question: President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky said that Kiev intends to hand over its settlement plan to Moscow at the second conference in Switzerland. But he added that he did not consider it a negotiation. Can you comment on this? What is Russia's attitude to the upcoming event in Switzerland?

Sergey Lavrov: It is difficult for me to comment. I don't know in what state Vladimir Zelensky spoke. If this is from his long interview, then there were a lot of interesting statements that have already been noticed. In particular, he cited statistics on losses on the Ukrainian side as a result of our special military operation.

I drew attention to his statement that the conference in Switzerland will now be held without an invitation from Russia. Head of the Office of the President Oleksiy Yermak also expressed the idea that they would get together, resolve everything, polish it up, bring to mind Vladimir Zelensky's "peace formula", and then hand it over to Russia. But as you quoted, the President of Ukraine said that this would not be considered negotiations. A normal person understands that an ultimatum is meant. Vladimir Zelensky has never given up on it. The entire 10-point "formula" was and remains an obvious ultimatum. They are trying to attract as many countries as possible to various events to discuss this "paper".

One of my good comrades showed me what advice the Europeans give to Vladimir Zelensky when organising "get-togethers" around the "peace formula". The main thing is this: gather as many states as possible, promise anything, as long as they come. If they don't like the "formula," let them choose something "innocent" from it, such as food or energy security. They will come, support the need to "feed" and "heat" everyone, and nothing more is required of them.

The second piece of advice to Ukrainians from the European Union is not to distribute any draft documents to any of these meetings, because there will be no support for all participants, and it is important for all of them to show it. Therefore, the main phenomenon at each such event should be "family photography". The more people there are, the more convincing (as they believe) will be their explanation that Moscow is "opposed to all progressive humanity." That's funny. This "obsession" with photographs has long been present in Western politics in order to "discourage" our partners in the world-majority countries from cooperating with the Russian Federation.

What surprises me the most is how Switzerland got into this "story". I spoke with President of the Swiss Confederation and Head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs Ignores Cassis in January of this year in New York, when we participated in meetings of the UN Security Council (1 and 2). He asked for a meeting and drew my attention to the fact that a few days earlier in Davos, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum, the Swiss held a regular meeting on Vladimir Zelensky's peace formula. My colleague proudly said that he told reporters that he was confident that it was impossible to reach an agreement without Russia. I asked, if he was sure of this, why was this meeting held in Switzerland? Cassis replied that they would move towards a situation where we would be invited. I advised him not to do this, because the base on which he (i.e. Switzerland, as well as other Western countries) is ready to work is absolutely dead-end. We have talked about this more than once.

If there is nothing to occupy yourself with and you need to demonstrate diplomatic convulsions confirming that Ukraine is not forgotten, then, as we say, no matter what the child enjoys, as long as he does not cry.

Question: At his meeting in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron did not rule out the involvement of the EU military in the conflict in Ukraine. Previously, such rhetoric was not allowed, such a possibility was publicly ruled out. Things are changing now. If any of the NATO countries agree with Ukraine to send their troops, will they violate Article 5 of the NATO Charter on collective security? What does this entail?

Sergey Lavrov: This is from the same series that I just mentioned. In the absence of visible results in increasing assistance to Ukraine in the form of supplies of ammunition, weapons...

On this occasion, Ukrainian officials regularly, almost daily, arrange media scandals, saying that we lost Avdiivka because of you, and we are retreating. They are used to talking to their masters like this. Megalomania is strongly visible in Vladimir Zelensky and his official staff in the administration and in the government.

With difficult efforts, the European Union recently allocated another tranche of 50 billion euros for a certain number of years. In the near future, 4.5 billion euros were promised for this year. Moreover, they have already begun to talk about why they are going to transfer all this in the form of grants, the Americans are converting the lion's share of the appropriation for Ukraine into loans in order to then keep them hooked, to ask them to pay in one form or another. In general, the Europeans somehow approved this "package". In the U.S., Congress has not yet resumed its work. There's a complicated story going on there. A large group of politicians (not just in the Republican Party) insist that the first thing to do is to secure itself, the United States. The problem of illegal migration has already acquired enormous proportions and is of serious concern – this is the rampant crime, drug trafficking and, in general, the violation of the principles on which the famous "one-story" America lives, which they now want to turn into a "skyscraper" and force it to abandon Christian values.

In Europe, too, not everyone likes the process of continuing to pump Ukraine with weapons. You can see the demonstrations going on. Farmers are staging protests in Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, France, and other countries against the fact that the markets of the European Union are flooded with cheap Ukrainian grain and other agricultural products. All this against the backdrop of ongoing accusations from the same European politicians who do not notice anything around them, do not notice anything about the problems of their countries, think only about Ukraine and continue to make statements that Russia is to blame for the worst food crisis in the world.

Food prices are now lower than they were in 2021. It is even being destroyed by farmers, enraged by the fact that their products are inferior to cheap, dumped products from Ukraine. Polish Agriculture Minister Czejkyrski recently publicly called on the European Commission, which is in charge of all this, to buy all the grain from Ukraine so as not to create competition for European farmers, and transfer it to the poorest countries. It would seem noble, beautiful. I think it would be worth a small fraction of what Europe has pumped and continues to pump into Ukraine.

Let's get back to the main question. The number of conferences that are convened in the West is increasing. Their goal is to compensate for a sharp drop in attention and a sharp reduction in the financial capacity to support Vladimir Zelensky's regime. The French and President Emmanuel Macron are fond of convening various events, not caring much about whether anything will happen after that or not.

We are now talking about the Middle East. Back in December 2015, Macron's predecessor, President Francois Hollande, convened a conference on the Middle East with great fanfare. A lot of people gathered there and talked about a Palestinian state and other steps to implement the UN Security Council resolution. Separated. All this thundered mainly in the French media space and in other Western countries, and it was conveniently forgotten. I would not attach much importance to the conferences convened in Paris.

In 2015, the Climate Conference was held in Paris, which reaffirmed the solemn commitment of Western countries to allocate $100 billion annually for 10 years to developing countries to finance the structural reform of their economies, preparing for the green transition, reducing the consumption of traditional energy sources, and switching to renewable energy sources without environmental pollution. Over the past ten years, 2 or 3 dozen billion have been transferred for these purposes at best. You can easily look at how much Westerners transfer to Ukraine and draw a conclusion about the priority of the West on the problem of the developing world and what the talk about climate as the main priority of international politics really is.

Indeed, for the first time in all the discussions on how to continue supporting Ukraine, Emmanuel Macron not only announced the creation of the "ninth missile coalition", which will include the supply of long-range weapons so that they reach deep into the territory of the Russian Federation, which in itself is suicidal (if all this is confirmed). In addition, he said that they had long discussed the sending of ground troops to the territory of Ukraine. There is no consensus yet, but consultations will continue. Several other participants of the French meeting, including the leaders of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and some other countries, spoke about the same thing. But they said in the sense that they considered this idea unacceptable. Emmanuel Macron was careful and said that the possibility of sending it by individual countries was discussed.

They do not want to create conditions for anyone to raise the issue of Article 5 of the Washington Treaty. That is why some members of the alliance, such as French President Emmanuel Macron and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, constantly say that they will not interfere with NATO in this conflict, that this should be done by individual countries. There was speculation about some kind of "Polish Legion" that could be created. All this is known and "floating" in the media space. It seems to me that those who not only express such thoughts, but even admit them in their heads, should use this head for more rational thoughts, which are safer for Europe.

I suggest Europeans take Mr. Lavrov’s advice. That food prices are lower than in 2021 will be a surprise to many readers. Perhaps grain prices is more appropriate. The “Photo-op” and the “sound-bite” are echoes from the Reagan past as it was during that administration where they were developed as propaganda for the US domestic audience. The purpose is the same today and merely adds to the mountain of evidence Lavrov is able to cite about the West’s actions being the root cause of global problems. The West needs to keep altering its Narrative to keep deter the effects of changing reality and knowledge of the Global Majority, but that alteration becomes a form of confession that what was said before was a series of lies. I’m surprised there weren’t more questions about the state of relations between the PM’s portion of Yemen and that controlled by Ansarallah, although it’s possible they were only addressed to the PM and Lavrov chose not to comment further. That Macron’s wild idea was rejected by most EU members and ridiculed by Lavrov means it died as soon as it passed Macron’s lips.

The G-7 issued a provocative statement against Russia that Maria Zakharova was charged with denouncing. I’ll add its translation as follows:

The so-called Group of Seven, which unites states hostile to the Russian Federation, issued another politicized and biased communiqué, deliberately timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the start of Russia's special military operation (SMO). The provisions of this document are permeated with Russophobia and are filled with slander. On the whole, the statement was yet another typical example of the Western policy of attacks on our country and confirmed the irreversible reality of the degeneration of the G7 into yet another instrument of hegemonic aspirations of the current US administration. We resolutely reject all unfounded and illegal demands against Russia contained in the text. There is no point in reacting to every passage. Let's dwell only on some substantive points.

1. The G7 countries once again do not hesitate to accuse Russia of "illegal, unjustified, unprovoked full-scale aggression" in Ukraine and, thus, a "flagrant violation" of the UN Charter. In this regard, we would like to remind you that the United States and its vassals must explain to the international community the legal grounds for the wars of aggression they have unleashed against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and a dozen other countries, as well as the unjustified armed aggression against Yemen being carried out by the Anglo-Saxons right now.

Once again, we would like to draw your attention to the indisputable fact that Russia has not violated any international norms and is acting within the framework of the right to individual and collective self-defence in accordance with the UN Charter, which we have repeatedly emphasised. Russia is not an aggressor state, as the West is trying to portray. All the actions of our country are aimed at giving an adequate response to the long-term geopolitical aggression against the vital interests of its security.

It is convenient for the G7 to present the case as if the current crisis around Ukraine arose in 2022. We have repeatedly stated that the countdown should be traced back to at least 2004, when the United States and the EU staged the first coup d'état in Ukraine, forcing them to organize an unconstitutional third round of presidential elections in order to bring their protégé to power. In 2014, with the active support of the Americans and Europeans, a bloody armed coup d'état was carried out: radical nationalist forces came to power in Kiev and unleashed a campaign of terror against the Russian and Russian-speaking population of Crimea and the southeast of the country.

Russia did not start the war, it seeks to end it and is taking forced, but decisive actions for this, including the conduct of a special military operation. In order to facilitate a settlement not in words but in deeds, the United States and its satellites must refuse to promote the unacceptable "formula" of Vladimir Zelensky, stop any support for the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev and meet Russia's legitimate demands related to ensuring its security interests in Europe.

2. The final passage of the statement that Kiev "can count on the support of the Group of Seven for as long as it takes" is perplexing. We recommend that Kiev's protégés of the West do not relax: they are not promised support – they are only invited to count on it.

As recent history shows, the assistance of the United States and its fellow "democratizers" can end at any time. And how could it be otherwise, if the time of the Biden regime is almost over, and the situation of all the Scholz, Macron, Sunak, Meloni and Trudeau is not very stable. It is unlikely that Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will remain "fencing" for Ukraine without his masters overseas. The "reliability" of Western patronage can be confirmed by Washington's former puppets in Afghanistan. The Americans abandoned them, shamefully fleeing the country. Which means they will run away again. It's only a matter of time.

3. The G7 threatens Russia with new sanctions. Not surprisingly, the West's economic war has been going on since at least 2014, when Crimea returned to its home harbor. This time, they threaten to harm not only Russia, but also our partners, sovereign states that conduct normal and legitimate foreign economic activity with our country.

Before the eyes of the whole world, the principles of the market economy once proclaimed by Westerners, including the presumption of innocence of economic agents, have been "thrown into the dustbin". Now the G7 is itching to confiscate the seized property of the Russian state and transfer the funds to the regime in Kiev. This will be a dangerous precedent, an important signal for anyone who is still doing anything with the West.

All responsibility for the severance of trade, economic, cultural and human contacts with Russia lies with the current Western leaders. We will give an adequate response to any unfriendly steps, based on the principle of reciprocity.

4. The demand to "fully clarify the circumstances surrounding the death of Alexei Navalny" is unacceptable. We regard it as a crude attempt to interfere in Russia's internal affairs.

Let them first give an answer to our inquiries regarding the results of the tests taken from Alexei Navalny in Germany. For many months, we have not been able to achieve clarity in the Skripal case and the sabotage at Nord Stream. What is really happening in the United States and European countries in the field of human rights? What is going on with democratic procedures during the current election campaign in the United States?

Until there are convincing answers to these questions, the G7 countries have no right to count on reciprocity from Russia.

5. A cursory glance at the text of the statement is enough to understand the long-term and deep nature of anti-Russian sentiments in the G7 camp. Primarily through the efforts of the Anglo-Saxons, the G7 has been turned into a kind of headquarters for the West's struggle against Russia, as well as other independent states seeking to develop legitimate ties with each other. At the same time, Washington and London are actually using representatives of Berlin, Tokyo, Paris and Rome as "useful idiots" to ensure support for their anti-Russian line.

It is high time for the sensible forces in continental Europe and Japan, if there are any left there, to wake up from their lethargic slumber and understand what they are being dragged into by the current rulers who have sworn allegiance to the Anglo-Saxons. It is time to rethink the goals of participation in the G7, whose actions clearly only undermine the strategic interests of continental Europe and Japan.

The time of associations such as the Group of Seven is irrevocably gone. Its member states need to admit their mistakes, disavow Russophobic statements based on hatred, abandon anti-Russian policies and accept the objective reality of the emerging multipolar world without hegemony and neocolonial diktat. [My Emphasis]

Maria’s biting wit was visible in several places above. The retort to the “as long as it takes” reiteration is based on the current reality and shows the fantasy land the G-7 dwells in. The same can be said about the self-imposed destruction of Globalization as a Western construct. As noted, Russia and other trading partners are ready to test their system of trade settlements and information processing based on digital national currencies in preparation of launching a pilot system in about ten months-time that will allow for the circumvention of many illegal sanctions and contribute to the formation of a dual Bloc situation that will further serve to isolate the G-7 and its affiliates. Lavrov’s mention of the West’s megalomania ties in with its inability to “accept the objective reality” Zakharova notes above. IMO, they will never “admit their mistakes” and will eventually implode economically and politically.

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