Maria Zakharova Lectures Italy's ANSA News Agency & Lavrov's Turkish Talks Results

Maria Zakharova was interviewed by the Italian news agency ANSA which mostly revolved around Ukraine. It was a rather stern lecture as you'll read, but I wonder how much will be allowed to reach Italians. Lavrov held talks today with Turkish Foreign Minister Hassan Fidan and provided a statement of the results to media. Turkey continues to drift slowly away from the West, which is trying to woo it back with EU membership as bait. But the Turks know all too well that will never happen as they’ve been spurned for 30+ years based on animosities that are far older. Zakharova’s Interview follows:

Question: Profits from oil and gas exports are falling noticeably, the ruble has collapsed, and inflation is rising. At the same time, drones reach Moscow almost every day. How much longer will Russia be able to continue this conflict?

Maria Zakharova: It's ridiculous to listen to you. The calculation of the United States was that we would not last even a month in 2022, after they brought down on us, in their own words, "hellish sanctions". And they are right in some ways: they behave like real demons, and neither Italy, nor Germany, nor France, nor Britain, nor the United States itself would have recovered from such sanctions. Any NATO country would collapse within a week. And we live, develop, move forward.

Our economy is growing at a good pace. Despite, frankly, the pessimistic forecasts that have sounded and are still heard from some experts, primarily, of course, Western experts, Russia at the end of 2022 - despite all these forecasts - entered the "five" largest economies in the world. According to the World Bank, the Russian Federation has come out ahead, overtaking the Federal Republic of Germany in terms of purchasing power parity, in terms of the size of the economy. This is one of the most important indicators. Thus, in the second quarter of this year, gross domestic product grew by 4.9% compared to the same period last year. Moreover, industries that are not related to the extraction of natural resources, including oil and gas, are growing at a faster pace.

With some states whose leaders do not succumb to boorish external pressure, but are guided not by others, but by their own national interests, the volume of our mutual trade has grown not even by some tens of percent, but by several times and now continues to grow further.

Our natural resources are being bought despite the price ceilings that are being introduced. Russian fuel at a competitive price allows friendly countries to restrain price increases, increase industrial and agricultural production. This strengthens their energy security and economic sustainability.

And this reality terrifies the entire NATO axis of evil (and you are the axis of evil, of course). Behind us is the truth and the whole free world. And for NATO, "soap bubbles", a thirst for money and power, nostalgia for colonialism.

Now about "how long will we last." As we say, you can't wait. We are united, we know that we are going to the end, we see that the truth is behind us.

And a little about the facts that do not reach the Western audience.

Today, Russia is actually single-handedly confronting the NATO-Ukrainian military-industrial conglomerate, in which Ukraine plays the role of a springboard, battlefield and instrument of armed struggle against Russia, and Western countries perform the functions of headquarters, rear, supplier of weapons, intelligence and target designation.

The Kyiv regime, indeed, is actively using drones to attack civilian infrastructure and civilians. We see in such actions of Kiev and its NATO curators a cowardly attempt to recoup in impotent anger at civilian facilities and civilians for the failure of the so-called "counteroffensive" and the inability to change the situation on the line of contact in their favor, despite massive Western assistance.

As for the duration of the special military operation, it largely depends on how quickly Kyiv and the West will understand that we will not tolerate the existence of an openly anti-Russian state on our borders, whatever its borders. This is impossible either from the point of view of Russia's security or from the point of view of the security of any other state.

Question: A senior NATO official, Stephen Jensen, suggested that Ukraine could cede its territories to Russia in exchange for joining NATO. What is your opinion on the possible spread of the idea of ceding part of the territory of Ukraine in the West? Can Russia be satisfied with this compromise? And what else could Russia offer in exchange?

Maria Zakharova: It was a stuffing to gradually accustom Kiev to the idea that NATO would not fight for Ukraine. For Western officialdom, resolving the Ukrainian crisis by diplomatic means is not a priority. He plans to prolong the conflict so that the Kyiv regime wages a war of attrition with Russia. At the same time, losses among Ukrainians do not matter to NATO. For the alliance, they are just expendable material in achieving geopolitical goals.

In addition, it is not entirely clear what territorial concessions we are talking about. Crimea and Sevastopol, the DPR and LPR, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions became part of the Russian Federation in full compliance with international law: within the framework of the exercise of the right to self-determination in accordance with the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the UN Charter. Residents of these territories voted in referendums for independence and accession to Russia. The presence of these regions as part of our country is an objective reality.

By the way, have you heard what the Blinkens, Borrells, Stoltenbergs have been saying for 1.5 years? They stated that everything should be decided on the battlefield. With their statements, they strengthened our positions: from the point of view of international law, we legally included new territories in Russia, and on the battlefield, as Westerners say, we defended them.

Our demands for resolving the European security crisis provoked by Washington and Brussels are well known. First, the parameters of the security guarantees provided to each other by Russia and the West must be agreed upon, in the spirit of the proposals we made to the United States and NATO in December 2021.

The United States and its allies must finally learn that the goal of the special military operation is not to seize the territory of Ukraine, but to denazify and demilitarize it, ensuring the non-aligned status of this country. Only in this case can we talk about eliminating threats to the security of Russia and its citizens.

Question: Neither President Vladimir Putin nor Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov received him during Cardinal Zuppi's visit to Russia, although US President Joe Biden had a two-hour conversation with him in Washington. Does this fact mean that Russia does not believe in the Vatican's peace initiative?

Maria Zakharova: I think that your question is not entirely correct. Relations between Moscow and the Vatican today, unlike most other European countries, are distinguished by a mutually respectful and constructive approach to building a bilateral dialogue. Russia has repeatedly stressed that it highly appreciates the Vatican's balanced line on the conflict in Ukraine, the efforts of the Holy See and Pope Francis personally to find a peaceful settlement, which, unfortunately, are openly rejected by the Kiev regime.

Moscow remains open to contacts with all countries seeking to contribute to the restoration of peace. That is why on June 27 of this year, as soon as the Vatican side asked us to do so, Cardinal M. Zuppi was received in Moscow. Indeed, the exceptionally tight schedule of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov did not allow us to hold meetings with the cardinal, but the program of his visit to Moscow was extremely busy. He had two conversations with Presidential Aide Yulia Ushakov, which clearly demonstrates the importance that Moscow attaches to the dialogue with the Holy See on Ukraine, as well as his separate meetings with Presidential Commissioner for Children's Rights Maria Lvova-Belova and Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.

I would like to emphasise that the dialogue with the Vatican continues. Our country is ready to cooperate with all those who seek to contribute to a peaceful settlement of the conflict around Ukraine, taking into account the well-known interests of Russia and existing realities.

Question: Will there come a day when Russia and Italy will become friends again, as they did in the past?

Maria Zakharova: Unfortunately, everything suggests that the current deep crisis in bilateral relations is here to stay. Following in a disciplined manner in the wake of the United States, Italy has chosen a course for the purposeful dismantling of the complex of Russian-Italian cooperation in various fields that has been developed over decades, and is supplying increasingly heavy and deadly weapons and military equipment to Ukraine used by the Armed Forces of Ukraine, including for striking Russian territory. Rome fully supported the hybrid war waged by the West, aimed at exhausting and weakening Russia, undermining its international positions, limiting sovereignty and the ability to pursue an independent domestic and foreign policy. If someone thinks that such actions go unnoticed by the Russian leadership and our citizens, then this is not so. All the necessary conclusions have been drawn.

At the same time, we have a lot of good things in common with Italy, with its wonderful people, which, we know this well, despite all the Russophobic exercises of the paid mainstream media, retains deep sympathy and interest in Russia, its culture and its people. The Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between the Russian Federation and the Italian Republic, concluded in Moscow on October 14, 1994, remains in force.

It seems to me that sooner or later economic reasons, cultural and historical closeness of peoples, objective needs of global development will lead the Italian leadership to understand the need to restore bilateral ties that have been destroyed today. Russia is open to the revival of the entire range of relations with Italy based on the principles of mutual respect, equality and consideration for each other's legitimate interests, including in the field of security.

It is time for the Italian government to see the light and see the true causes of the global crisis created by the West.

Remember the economic crisis of 2008, which had a devastating force for the world economy? It did not arise on its own. Its causes were the "bursting bubble" of the American real estate market. Real estate manipulation could no longer be covered by Washington, and this segment of the American economy then collapsed, dragging the whole world with it. At that time, it was not the United States that saved the world economy, and not the notorious economic "seven", but the rest of the countries that became victims of American financial pyramids. The countries united in the "twenty" and began to lead the world out of the crisis.

This is how the collapse of American international political manipulation has led to the Ukrainian crisis. Instead of admitting their criminal mistakes in the form of interference in the internal affairs of Ukraine, carrying out coups d'état there, sponsoring nationalist regimes, they began to persist in their rightness and prove that they could continue to dictate their will to the region. And on the Anglo-Saxon plan itself, it is much more insidious - Ukraine with a puppet regime is only a tool, direct targets, as it seems, are Russia and China, and an indirect, but the strongest blow fell on the EU. I don't know if Mrs. Meloni plays billiards, if not, then let her be told what a "brother-in-law" is.

(If anyone knows what that term is, please inform us via the comments!)

Given what’s recently been disclosed by the Kremlin, Putin’s next trip outside Russia will be to the BRI Conference to be held in China in October, it appears a Summit in Turkey with Erdogan is currently not in the cards. Unmentioned in Lavrov’s reply to the one media question is the recent baseless accusation by the Zelensky junta that Russia’s to blame for African hunger and high grain prices. One other interesting item before getting to Lavrov’s statement is being reported by Vedomosti:

EU member states intend to buy record volumes of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Russia in 2023, despite the bloc’s intention to phase out the use of Russian fossil fuels by 2027, Vedomosti writes. Russian LNG imports in the first seven months of 2023 increased by 40% from 15 mln to 22 mln cubic meters compared to the same period in 2021. A survey conducted by Global Witness shows that Russia is now the second-largest supplier of fuel to the EU after the United States. According to their estimates, European countries spent more than 5.3 bln euros on Russian LNG during this period.

According to the report, EU countries accounted for fully 52% of Russian LNG exports from January through July 2023, whereas this figure was 49% in 2022 and 39% in 2021. Analysts highlighted that the year-on-year increase in European LNG imports from Russia (40%) far outpaced the global average increase in LNG sales, which was just 6%. After China, Spain (18% of total Russian sales) and Belgium (17%) became the top importers of Russian LNG.

And while refineries explode and closedown in the USA, Russia continues to expand its ability to export LNG. Now for Lavrov’s remarks and the one media question:

Ladies and gentlemen,

We had intensive and substantive talks with Turkish Foreign Minister Hassan Fidan.

We noted the dynamic development of bilateral relations. Presidents Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan continue an intensive and trust-based political dialogue, primarily at the highest level. They have been in regular contact lately. Several telephone conversations and face-to-face meetings took place. In the near future, another informal summit is planned, at which all areas of our partnership will be considered.

Trade and economic ties are developing rapidly and intensively. In 2022, trade increased by almost 90% and reached a record $62.4 billion. Recently, the Turkish side appointed a new co-chair of the Joint Intergovernmental Russian-Turkish Commission on Trade and Economic Cooperation. We agreed that its next meeting will be held in Turkey in the near future.

Our strategic projects are developing, primarily in the energy sector. It has traditionally been a "locomotive" in our relations. The construction of all four power units of the Akkuyu NPP is proceeding according to schedule.

For our part, we reaffirmed Russia's commitment to all agreements on increasing natural gas exports, including through the implementation of the initiative of our heads of state to create a single gas distribution hub in Turkey.

Special attention was paid to ensuring the safety of Russian citizens vacationing in Turkey. We are interested in the development of this industry.

This year, everyone has witnessed (today Minister H. Fidan expressed gratitude for this) that Russia promptly responded to Turkey's requests for assistance in the fight against natural disasters. Along with the assistance provided by the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations in eliminating the consequences of the February earthquake, we immediately responded to the request of our Turkish friends to provide Russian Be-200ES amphibious aircraft to extinguish forest fires on the Aegean coast.

We discussed in detail current regional issues, including the situation in the Middle East and North Africa, the South Caucasus, Central Asia and the Black Sea region.

We carefully considered the tasks facing us in the context of normalising Syrian-Turkish relations. As you know, at the 20th International Meeting of the Astana format in Kazakhstan in July 2023, this issue was considered, and certain agreements were reached. We discussed additional steps to assist Ankara and Damascus in restoring diplomatic relations and establishing full-fledged cooperation.

We are in favour of deepening cooperation in other areas, including in the South Caucasus. We are interested in promoting the normalisation of relations between Armenia and Turkey, as well as in the implementation of all the agreements reached between the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia since November 2020, including on the unblocking of transport links and communications, as well as on post-conflict reconstruction. We are convinced that Turkey will be able to play a constructive and useful role in these efforts.

We spoke in detail about the situation in and around Ukraine, including initiatives designed to promote Vladimir Zelensky's unacceptable, ultimatum and deliberately failed Peace Formula. They explained why it is impossible to rely on the efforts that are being made in this direction. They are trying to replace any serious conversation about how to ensure equal and indivisible security, which will prevent conflicts in Europe.

We discussed the problem that arose after the termination on July 18 of this year of the "Black Sea initiative" on the export of grain from Ukrainian ports. We conveyed to our Turkish partners our understanding of what needs to be done, first of all, in the West to restore the viability of this initiative.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin has repeatedly officially and clearly stated that as soon as measures are taken not to negotiate the Russian part of the Black Sea package, but to resolve all the problems that remain unfulfilled, despite the promises of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, whose efforts we appreciate, as soon as the talks turn into concrete decisions, we are ready to resume the Ukrainian part of the grain package on the same day.

We discussed President Vladimir Putin's initiative to organise deliveries of up to 1 million tonnes of Russian grain to Turkey at a preferential price for further processing at Turkish enterprises and shipment to the world's most needy countries. This issue is being discussed with the participation of our friends from Qatar. They are ready to participate in the financial aspects of this initiative.

I would like to note that we welcome Ankara's independent foreign policy focused on its own national interests. We know firsthand that the West is trying in every possible way to question this line. For him, this position of Turkey is a serious irritant.

In this context, we believe that constructive and equal cooperation with our country is mutually beneficial economically and advantageous in terms of strengthening the sovereign foundations of the foreign policy of the Republic of Turkey. We always try to meet the wishes of our Turkish partners as much as possible. This also applies to discounts on Russian energy resources, and agreements on their long-term supplies, and measures to support the tourism industry due to the influx of tourists from Russia, and the expansion of imports of Turkish fruits and vegetables to our market. We are convinced that, in the spirit of the agreements of our presidents, our Turkish partners will continue to reciprocate our feelings, despite pressure from the United States and its allies who want to turn everyone and everything against the Russian Federation. I am sure that these attempts will not lead to results.

A few days ago, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, in his congratulatory message on the occasion of the national holiday Victory Day, said that Turkey would never jeopardize its independence. We fully share the same principles with regard to the Russian Federation. We will help each other defend our principled approaches in the international arena.

The effectiveness of our political dialogue and economic cooperation will continue to depend on mutual readiness to take into account each other's concerns and interests, and the search for a balance between them. Our Turkish partners have the necessary strategic vision.

We will continue to adhere to approaches based on mutual respect and a balance of interests.

I think it was useful to talk. I thank my colleague and friend.

Question: If Moscow's conditions on the grain deal are met, will there be a return to the original version? Or can we consider a new format? What other pressing issues will be raised at the meeting between the leaders of Russia and Turkey, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan?

Sergey Lavrov: President of Russia Vladimir Putin (and I have said more than once in my opening remarks) that as soon as all the assurances contained in the Memorandum of Understanding between the Russian Federation and the UN Secretariat on facilitating the promotion of Russian food and fertilisers to world markets (part of the package of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres) are fulfilled, we will immediately return to the implementation of everything that is written in the Ukrainian part.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hassan Fidan mentioned how Antonio Guterres is trying to move forward on this issue. President of Russia Vladimir Putin and I have repeatedly said that we appreciate the efforts of the Secretary-General. I recently spoke with him on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in Johannesburg. Antonio Guterres spoke about his new initiatives and sent me a message.

We honestly explained to the UN Secretary-General and our Turkish friends that there is still no guarantee in this message, only a promise to "try faster." It all comes down to the fact that the West is hindering the solution of problems that impede the more active export of Russian grain and fertilizers. There is nothing the UN can do on its own. They are forced to ask the West to show prudence and a constructive approach. He doesn't want to do that. So far, it all comes down to promises. I can only confirm that when there are guarantees with a concrete result that can be implemented tomorrow, then tomorrow the implementation of the "package" will resume in full.

Largely thanks to the Western media, the importance of the entire situation that has developed after the termination of the "Black Sea initiative" is artificially increasing. We cited to our Turkish colleagues the statistics of FAO, UNDP, and the stock exchanges where grain is traded - there is no food crisis in the world and there is no jump in prices. The cost fluctuates (up and down), but remains at a level not higher than 2021.

President of Russia Vladimir Putin has guaranteed that we will fully compensate for part of the Ukrainian grain that was sent to countries in need during the operation of the Black Sea Initiative (less than 3 percent of the total volume of exported Ukrainian products).

I would like to draw your attention to what President Vladimir Putin announced at the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg: up to 50,1 tonnes of grain each will be donated to six of the poorest African countries. Moreover, we will also pay for the shipping costs. In addition to this, we are discussing the initiative to provide us with <> million tons of grain in the context of a possible Russian-Turkish-Qatari project.

As for other topics that Presidents of Russia and Turkey Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan will discuss, this is a presidential affair. They set their agenda. We are "not handy" to think for them. [My Emphasis]

Turkey continues to turn to the East. It’s very important to note that few if any so-called secondary sanctions have been applied to Turkey, and that the EU’s sanction regime is one very large impediment for Turkey joining the EU as it goes against Turkey’s fundamental strategic interests and its long-term plans. Hopefully readers noted the participation of Qatar in the grain issue. Exactly where the Turkish gas hub issue stands is unclear. And progress on the ground in Syria hasn’t really matched what’s been stated, so much more needs to be done on that issue.

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