The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, Sergey Lavrov, linked the visit to Moscow by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to the recent visit by the Vatican Secretary for Relations with States, Paul Richard Gallagher, whom the Russian minister met.
As the Russian Foreign Minister said, the representative of the Pope expressed his readiness to contribute to contacts between Moscow and Kyiv on humanitarian issues.
At the same time, Lavrov linked the closely timed visits to Moscow by the Director of the CIA and the representative of the Vatican to their desire «to come and talk» with Russia.
It is noted that, according to Western media, the resumption of negotiations between Ukraine and Russia was one of the key topics of Ratcliffe's visit to Moscow.
«We work quietly»
«The non-public nature of cooperation between intelligence services, which traditionally work «quietly», should come as no surprise.
We, as is the case throughout the world, have rules under which intelligence services cooperate with one another.
There is nothing unusual about this.
And there is nothing unusual about the fact that they do this work quietly.
We in diplomacy also largely work quietly, but diplomats, due to tradition and the very nature of their profession, are obliged to say certain things», said the Russian Foreign Minister.
We will not back down
At the same time, Lavrov implied that these visits aim to push Russia to back away from the agreements which, as he maintains, the Presidents of the US and Russia, Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, reached in Anchorage, namely the termination of the war following the withdrawal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine from the Donetsk region.
However, Moscow does not intend to change its position.
We shook hands
«Russia is used to conducting its diplomatic affairs in an honorable way or, as one might say, «by word of honor».
We are used to making deals, one could say in a gentlemanly way, or one could say «by word of honor».
In essence, it is the same thing.
We shook hands. Look, this is your proposal.
We say that we accept it without changes», stated the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs, referring to Anchorage.
As he said, it is not Russia's style «to hang on anyone's hands» and stubbornly try to impose its own view on them, while criticizing the US for continuing military support to Ukraine.
Not a single response
«Leaks appear in the Western press from time to time regarding how specifically the Trump administration, which has described the Ukrainian crisis as «Biden's war», is assisting Ukraine with new funding, armaments, intelligence provision from intelligence services, and so on.
Over the past two months there have been three or four such instances.
When such information appears, we calmly convey it through diplomatic channels to the State Department and ask them to confirm whether it is true.
To date, we have not received a single response», stated Lavrov.
Only North Korea by our side, everyone else is against us
«The military personnel of North Korea were the only ones who were with Russia «in the trenches» in the Ukrainian conflict.
Many call what is happening a world war.
Yet only military personnel of North Korea were with us in the trenches.
Everyone else is on the other side, and what the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated, perhaps it slipped out, that the US is not a mediator but stands on the side of Ukraine, turns the front into a single front of the collective West against us», said Lavrov.
Unprecedented
«We have never had anything like this in our history.
In World War II we nevertheless had the US and Britain on our side.
Subsequently, as we advanced victoriously, particularly in Europe, our lines were also reinforced by other countries, which withdrew their troops from Hitler's side and brought them over to our side», said the Russian Foreign Minister.
Britain plays the most negative role
Furthermore, Lavrov argued that «Britain plays the «most negative» role in the conflict in Ukraine, both toward Russia and toward Western countries.
«The role of Britain is the most negative, as has been the case for many centuries.
Toward Russia, certainly.
But also toward most of the others, I would not call them partners, but fellow travelers of Britain, because it never had permanent allies.
And the US is no exception.
They have always looked down somewhat on those Anglo-Saxons who created their own state on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean», said Lavrov.
Surrender
All crises that arose around the territory of Russia were imported from outside, and Europe is constantly involved in them.
If we examine the root causes of each crisis, then all the problems that arose around us came from outside.
This concerns Britain and the Europeans.
Constantly, Europe», said Lavrov, stating that Zelensky's conduct is causing growing irritation in the international community, but hardly anyone will simply tell him «enough».
«Irritation is accumulating.
However, I would not rely on the hope that this irritation will continue to grow and that at some point they will simply tell him, «enough, surrender»», pointed out the Russian Foreign Minister.
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