🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview to Tucker Carlson(Moscow, December 6, 2024)
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Key talking points
#RussiaUS
• We would like to have normal relations with all countries especially with the United States. We don't see any reason why Russia and the United States cannot cooperatefor the sake of the universe.
• The Ukrainians would not be able to do what they're doing with long-range modern weapons without direct participation of the American servicemen. We don't want to aggravate the situation, but since ATACMS and other long-range weapons are being used against mainland Russia as it were, we are sending signals. <...>
[The US and its allies] must understand that we would be ready to use any means not to allow them to succeed in what they call strategic defeat of Russia. They fight for keeping the hegemony over the world on any country, any region, any continent. We fight for our legitimate security interests.
• We don't want to aggravate the situation, but since ATACMS and other long-range weapons are being used against mainland Russia, we are sending signals. We hope that the last one, a couple of weeks ago, the signal with the new weapon system called #Oreshnikwas taken seriously.
• When the United States and other Western countries recognized unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, they said this is the self-determination being implemented. There was no referendum in Kosovo — unilateral declaration of independence. <...> And when a few years later, Crimeans were holding referendum with invitation of many international observers, not from international organizations, but from parliamentarians in Europe, in Asia, in post-Soviet space, they said that they cannot accept this because this is violation of territorial integrity 🤷♂️
The UN Charter is not a menu. You have to respect it in all its entirety👉#UNCharterIsOurRules
• I think [Donald Trump] is a very strong person. A person who wants results. Who doesn't like procrastination on anything. But this does not mean that he's pro-Russian as some people try to present him. The amount of sanctions we received under the Trump administration was very big.
#Ukraine
• We strongly prefer peaceful solution through negotiations on the basis of respecting legitimate security interest of Russia, and on the basis of respecting the people who live in Ukraine, who still live in Ukraine being Russians. <...>
No military bases, no military exercises on the Ukrainian soil with participation of foreign troops. <...> We cannot tolerate a deal which would keep the legislation which are prohibiting Russian language, Russian media, Russian culture, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, because it is a violation of the obligations of Ukraine under the UN Charter.
• We are not talking about exterminating anybody's population. We don't have any intention to exterminate Ukrainian people. They are brothers and sisters to the Russian people.
• It is becoming clear that there is a fatigue in some capitals, and there are talks every now and then that the Americans would like to leave [Ukraine] with the Europeans and to concentrate on something more important.
#Syria
• The Americans in the east of Syria groom some Kurdish separatists using the profits from oil and grain sold, the resources which they occupy. <...> The information [on who's backing Islamist groups] which is being floated and it's in the public domain mentions among others the Americans, the Brits. Some people say that Israel is interested in making this situation aggravate. So that Gaza is not under very close scrutiny.
🎙 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s interview to Tucker Carlson(Moscow, December 6, 2024)
Read in full
Watch on Youtube
Key talking points
#RussiaUS
• We would like to have normal relations with all countries especially with the United States. We don't see any reason why Russia and the United States cannot cooperatefor the sake of the universe.
• The Ukrainians would not be able to do what they're doing with long-range modern weapons without direct participation of the American servicemen. We don't want to aggravate the situation, but since ATACMS and other long-range weapons are being used against mainland Russia as it were, we are sending signals. <...>
[The US and its allies] must understand that we would be ready to use any means not to allow them to succeed in what they call strategic defeat of Russia. They fight for keeping the hegemony over the world on any country, any region, any continent. We fight for our legitimate security interests.
• We don't want to aggravate the situation, but since ATACMS and other long-range weapons are being used against mainland Russia, we are sending signals. We hope that the last one, a couple of weeks ago, the signal with the new weapon system called #Oreshnikwas taken seriously.
• When the United States and other Western countries recognized unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo, they said this is the self-determination being implemented. There was no referendum in Kosovo — unilateral declaration of independence. <...> And when a few years later, Crimeans were holding referendum with invitation of many international observers, not from international organizations, but from parliamentarians in Europe, in Asia, in post-Soviet space, they said that they cannot accept this because this is violation of territorial integrity 🤷♂️
The UN Charter is not a menu. You have to respect it in all its entirety👉#UNCharterIsOurRules
• I think [Donald Trump] is a very strong person. A person who wants results. Who doesn't like procrastination on anything. But this does not mean that he's pro-Russian as some people try to present him. The amount of sanctions we received under the Trump administration was very big.
#Ukraine
• We strongly prefer peaceful solution through negotiations on the basis of respecting legitimate security interest of Russia, and on the basis of respecting the people who live in Ukraine, who still live in Ukraine being Russians. <...>
No military bases, no military exercises on the Ukrainian soil with participation of foreign troops. <...> We cannot tolerate a deal which would keep the legislation which are prohibiting Russian language, Russian media, Russian culture, Ukrainian Orthodox Church, because it is a violation of the obligations of Ukraine under the UN Charter.
• We are not talking about exterminating anybody's population. We don't have any intention to exterminate Ukrainian people. They are brothers and sisters to the Russian people.
• It is becoming clear that there is a fatigue in some capitals, and there are talks every now and then that the Americans would like to leave [Ukraine] with the Europeans and to concentrate on something more important.
#Syria
• The Americans in the east of Syria groom some Kurdish separatists using the profits from oil and grain sold, the resources which they occupy. <...> The information [on who's backing Islamist groups] which is being floated and it's in the public domain mentions among others the Americans, the Brits. Some people say that Israel is interested in making this situation aggravate. So that Gaza is not under very close scrutiny.
🇷🇺🇺🇸📞 On October 20, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held a telephone conversation with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
The Parties engaged in a constructive discussion focusing on possible specific steps to implement the understandings reached during President Vladimir Putin’s October 16 telephone conversation with US President Donald Trump.
#RussiaUS
🎙 Russia's President Vladimir Putin's statement at a joint news conference with US President Donald Trump following talks (Anchorage, August 15)
💬PresidentPutin: We held our talks in a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere, and they have proved substantive and productive.
I would like to once again thank my US counterpart for the proposal to come to Alaska. It is quite logical to meet here since our countries, albeit separated by oceans, are, in fact, close neighbours. <...>
As you know, Russian-American summit talks have not been held for over four years. That is a long time. This period has proved exceptionally difficult for bilateral relations, and, let’s face it, they have deteriorated to their lowest point since the Cold War. And this does not benefit either our countries or the world in general.
Obviously, sooner or later we had to remedy the situation, to move from confrontation to dialogue, and in this regard, an in-person meeting between the two heads of state was really overdue – of course, with serious and thorough preparations, and this work has been done.
President Trump and I have established very good direct contacts. We have had frank conversations on the phone multiple times. As you know, the US President’s Special Envoy, Mr Witkoff, has visited us in Russia several times. Our aides and heads of foreign ministries have maintained regular contacts.
As you are well aware, the situation around Ukraine is one of the key issues. We acknowledge the commitment of the US administration and President Trump personally to help resolve the Ukrainian conflict, and the President’s willingness to understand the root causes and its origins.
I have repeatedly said that the developments in Ukraine present fundamental threats to Russia’s national security. Moreover, we have always considered the Ukrainian people – and I have said this many times – a brotherly people, no matter how strange it may sound in today’s circumstances. We share the same roots, and the current situation is tragic and deeply painful to us. Therefore, our country is sincerely interested in ending this.
Yet, we are convinced that, for the conflict resolution in Ukraine to be long-term and lasting, all the root causes of the crisis, which have been repeatedly explained, must be eliminated; all of Russia’s legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair security balance must be restored in Europe and the rest of the world. <...>
Hopefully, the understanding we have reached will bring us closer to this goal and open up the road to peace in Ukraine. <...>
Today, we hear President Trump saying: “If I had been president, there would have been no war.” I believe it would have been so. I confirm this because President Trump and I have established a generally very good, businesslike and trustworthy contact. And I have every reason to believe that, as we move along this path, we can reach – and the sooner the better – the end of the conflict in Ukraine.
Read in full
#RussiaUS
⚡️Comment by Aide to the President of Russia Yury Ushakov on Vladimir Putin’s meeting with US President’s Special Envoy Steve Witkoff(August 7, 2025)
💬Yury Ushakov: This meeting took place in a business-like atmosphere and was quite constructive. Both Sides can be satisfied with the outcomes of this conversation. The discussion focused on matters dealing with future efforts to work together in the context of resolving the Ukraine crisis.
🇷🇺🇺🇸 Once again, it was noted that Russia-US relations could be placed on a totally different, mutually beneficial footing, which would be in stark contrast with the way these relations have evolved in recent years.
❗️ Regarding the Ukraine agenda, at the proposal of the United States, there was a principled agreement to hold a top-level bilateral meeting in the coming days, which means a meeting between presidents Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump.
Together with our American colleagues, we are about to start working on the specific parameters of this meeting and its venue. The venue has also been coordinated, and we will communicate on this point a little later.
As for the option of holding a trilateral meeting, which for some reason became a subject of speculation yesterday in Washington, the US representative simply mentioned it during the meeting at the Kremlin. However, there was no specific discussion on this topic. Russia has not commented on this option in any way. Our suggestion primarily focuses on preparing for a bilateral meeting with Donald Trump.
What matters most is that the meeting proves successful and produces tangible results.
It is already well known that Donald Trump spoke to several of his European partners on the phone to discuss these issues after Steve Witkoff reported back to him. It is worth noting in this regard that we have also been updating our close partners and friends through the relevant communication channels to inform them on the topics discussed during the meeting with Steve Witkoff.
Next week was suggested as a possible timeframe [for holding the meeting], but since the effort to prepare for this important event is only just beginning for both Parties, it is hard to say how long the preparations will take.
That said, the option of holding this meeting sometime next week was on the table, and we hold quite a positive view in this regard.
#RussiaUS
🌐 April 24 marks the International Day of Multilateralism and Diplomacy for Peace. Established by the UN General Assembly resolution 73/127 of December 12, 2018, it seeks to promote the values of the United Nations and reaffirm the faith of our peoples in the purposes and principles enshrined in its Charter.
🇺🇳#UNCharterIsOurRules
From Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s remarks at the UN Security Council’s open debates “Effective multilateralism through the Defence of the Principles of the UN Charter” (New York, April 24, 2023):
💬 For a little less than 80 years of its existence, the UN has been carrying out the important mission entrusted to it by its founders. For several decades, a basic understanding by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council as regards the supremacy of the charter’s goals and principles guaranteed global security.
• Today, our UN-centric system is going through a deep crisis. The main reason is a striving by some UN members to replace international law and the UN Charter with a certain “rules-based” order.
• Our Western colleagues have been inconvenienced by holding talks based on universal formats, such as the UN, for a long time now. In order to provide an ideological substantiation for the course on undermining multilateralism, they initiated a concept of united “democracies” as opposed to “autocracies.”
• Summits for Democracy, the Alliance for Multilateralism <...> – all these and other non-inclusive projects were designed to thwart talks on the corresponding matters under the auspices of the UN.
❗️ Let's call it what it is: no one authorised the Western minority to speak on behalf of all humankind. Please act decently and respect all members of the international community.
👉 It is our common duty to preserve the United Nations as the hard-won epitome of multilateralism and coordination of international politics. The key to success lies in working together, renouncing claims to anyone's exceptionalism and showing respect for the sovereign equality of states.
8️⃣0️⃣ years ago, on October 24, 1945, the Charter of the United Nations entered into force. This date marks the founding day of the UN.
The idea of creating a universal international organisation to maintain peace emerged during World War II. In 1943, at an international conference in Moscow, the foreign ministers of the USSR, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China signed a declaration that laid the foundation for the future United Nations.
In February 1945, at the Yalta Conference, the leaders of the three Allied powers – Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill – decided to convene a conference in San Francisco, where on June 26, 1945, 50 states signed the UN Charter.
The establishment of the United Nations marked the beginning of a new era in human history and became a natural outcome of World War II, expressing the global community’s determination to prevent such horrible massacre from ever happening again, and to resolve conflicts through consensus and compromise.
#UNCharterIsOurRules: Russia has consistently advocated the strengthening of the central coordinating role of the UN in global affairs. Strict compliance with the letter and spirit of the UN Charter is an indispensable condition for advancing towards a more peaceful, prosperous and truly just and equal world order.
💬 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov:
“We have always upheld the principles of the UN Charter, which we consider to be perfectly applicable norms of international law codified in the most important international legal document of the international community, which comprehensively sets out the organisational standards of international relations.”
📜 Today, 80 years later after its adoption, the words of the United Nations Charter Preamble once again affirm their relevance:
WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind… HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS.
The Founding Fathers of the UN envisioned its purpose as serving as a centre for coordinating the nations’ activities.
👉 The outstanding Russian diplomat Vitaly Churkin, who served as Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2006 to 2017, aptly described the UN’s role in today’s world:
“The United Nations has proven its ability to change along with transformations of the international system. At the current stage of turbulence in global affairs, it is crucial to preserve its prestige based on the enduring and truly democratic principle of sovereign equality of all states, without dividing them into the leaders and the led.”
These words resonate with another famous statement by the second UN Secretary-General (1953–1961), Dag Hammarskjöld: “The United Nations was not created in order to bring us to heaven, but in order to save us from hell".
8️⃣0️⃣ years ago, on October 24, 1945, the Charter of the United Nations entered into force. This date marks the founding day of the UN.
The idea of creating a universal international organisation to maintain peace emerged during World War II. In 1943, at an international conference in Moscow, the foreign ministers of the USSR, the United States, the United Kingdom, and China signed a declaration that laid the foundation for the future United Nations.
In February 1945, at the Yalta Conference, the leaders of the three Allied powers – Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill – decided to convene a conference in San Francisco, where on June 26, 1945, 50 states signed the UN Charter.
The establishment of the United Nations marked the beginning of a new era in human history and became a natural outcome of World War II, expressing the global community’s determination to prevent such horrible massacre from ever happening again, and to resolve conflicts through consensus and compromise.
#UNCharterIsOurRules: Russia has consistently advocated the strengthening of the central coordinating role of the UN in global affairs. Strict compliance with the letter and spirit of the UN Charter is an indispensable condition for advancing towards a more peaceful, prosperous and truly just and equal world order.
💬 Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov:
“We have always upheld the principles of the UN Charter, which we consider to be perfectly applicable norms of international law codified in the most important international legal document of the international community, which comprehensively sets out the organisational standards of international relations.”
📜 Today, 80 years later after its adoption, the words of the United Nations Charter Preamble once again affirm their relevance:
WE THE PEOPLES OF THE UNITED NATIONS DETERMINED to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind… HAVE RESOLVED TO COMBINE OUR EFFORTS TO ACCOMPLISH THESE AIMS.
The Founding Fathers of the UN envisioned its purpose as serving as a centre for coordinating the nations’ activities.
👉 The outstanding Russian diplomat Vitaly Churkin, who served as Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations from 2006 to 2017, aptly described the UN’s role in today’s world:
“The United Nations has proven its ability to change along with transformations of the international system. At the current stage of turbulence in global affairs, it is crucial to preserve its prestige based on the enduring and truly democratic principle of sovereign equality of all states, without dividing them into the leaders and the led.”
These words resonate with another famous statement by the second UN Secretary-General (1953–1961), Dag Hammarskjöld: “The United Nations was not created in order to bring us to heaven, but in order to save us from hell".
🇷🇺🇺🇸📞 Presidents of Russia & the United States, Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump spoke over the phone (March 18, 2025)
The Leaders continued their detailed and frank exchange of views on the situation surrounding Ukraine. Vladimir Putin extended gratitude to Donald Trump for his striving to achieve the noble goal of ending the hostilities and loss of life.
Confirming his fundamental commitment to finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict, the President of Russia expressed willingness to thoroughly work out possible solutions in cooperation with the American partners, aimed at reaching a settlement that would be comprehensive, reliable, and lasting, and, naturally, take into account the essential need to eliminate the root causes of the crisis, as well as Russia's legitimate security interests.
Concerning US President's proposal to declare a 30-day ceasefire, the Russian Side outlined a number of significant points regarding ensuring effective control over a possible ceasefire along the entire frontline, as well as the need to stop the forced mobilisation in Ukraine and rearming the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
It was noted that some serious risks exist pertaining to the intractability of the Kiev regime which had repeatedly sabotaged and violated negotiated agreements. An emphasis was made on barbaric acts of terrorism committed by Ukrainian militants against civilians residing in the Kursk Region.
It was pointed out that a complete cessation of providing Kiev with foreign military aid and intelligence must become the key condition for preventing an escalation of the conflict and making progress towards its resolution through political and diplomatic means.
Referring to Donald Trump's recent appeal to spare the lives of the Ukrainian servicemen surrounded in the Kursk Region, Vladimir Putin confirmed that the Russian Side was willing to embrace humanitarian motives and guaranteed that the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine would live and be treated fairly in accordance with Russian legislation and international law in the event of surrender.
During the conversation, Donald Trump put forward a proposal for the parties to mutually refrain from strikes on energy infrastructure for 30 days. Vladimir Putin responded favourably to the proposal and immediately gave the relevant order to the Russian troops.
Just as favourable was the Russian President's response to Donald Trump's suggestion to implement a well-known proposal regarding the safety of navigation in the Black Sea. The Leaders agreed to begin talks to further work out specific details of such an agreement.
Vladimir Putin made it known that on March 19, the Russian and Ukrainian sides would carry out an exchange of prisoners, each swapping 175 people. Additionally, as a gesture of goodwill, 23 heavily wounded Ukrainian soldiers currently receiving aid at Russian medical facilities will also be repatriated.
The Leaders confirmed their intention to continue efforts aimed at reaching a settlement in Ukraine bilaterally, with due regard in particular to the aforementioned proposals by the US President. For this purpose, a Russian and an American expert task forces are now being formed.
Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump also addressed some other international issues, including the situation in the Middle East and in the Red Sea region. Joint efforts will be made to stabilise the situation in the crisis spots and establish cooperation on nuclear non-proliferation and global security. This will, in turn, contribute to improving the overall ambiance of relations between Russia and the United States. One positive example is the recent vote in the UN on a resolution on the Ukraine conflict, in which the two countries aligned their stances.
The Leaders expressed mutual interest in normalising the bilateral ties in light of the special responsibility for ensuring global security and stability borne by both Russia and the United States. <...>
🤝 The Presidents agreed to stay in touch on all the issues raised.
#RussiaUS
7️⃣9️⃣ years ago, on June 26, 1945, The United Nations Charter was signed, which became the main result of the San Francisco Conference.
This fundamental document was signed by 50 participating countries, including the USSR as well as its constituent entities: the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic and the Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic. On behalf of the USSR, the UN Charter was signed by Andrey Gromyko.
The establishing of the UN – a universal international organization, the main goals of which are defined as the maintenance and strengthening of peace and security – was a natural consequence of the Second World War, an expression of the desire of the world community to resolve conflicts without global military action.
📃The UN Charter is a fundamental international document mandating the main principles and norms of states’ international behaviour and regulating relations between states as well as the activities of UN agencies and organisations within its system.
🇺🇳 Today, the UN comprises 1️⃣9️⃣3️⃣ Member States, with its activities embracing every sphere of the planet’s international, political, economic, social, cultural, and humanitarian life through its specialised agencies, committees and sub-committees.
🇷🇺 Russia invariably remains committed to multilateralism and the UN’s coordinating role in world affairs, and is actively involved in the effort to reform and adapt the UN to new international realities.
🎙 FromRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's remarks during the UN Security Council open debate on "Effective Multilateralism through the Protection of the Principles of the UN Charter" (New York, April 24, 2023):
💬 It is our shared responsibility to preserve the UN as the enduring model of multilateralism and coordination of world politics. The key to success is working together, refusing to claim exclusivity and - I repeat once again - respecting the sovereign equality of states. This is what we all signed up to when we ratified the UN Charter.
#UNCharterIsOurRules
🎙 Russia's President Vladimir Putin's statement at a joint news conference with US President Donald Trump following talks (Anchorage, August 15)
💬PresidentPutin: We held our talks in a constructive and mutually respectful atmosphere, and they have proved substantive and productive.
I would like to once again thank my US counterpart for the proposal to come to Alaska. It is quite logical to meet here since our countries, albeit separated by oceans, are, in fact, close neighbours. <...>
As you know, Russian-American summit talks have not been held for over four years. That is a long time. This period has proved exceptionally difficult for bilateral relations, and, let’s face it, they have deteriorated to their lowest point since the Cold War. And this does not benefit either our countries or the world in general.
Obviously, sooner or later we had to remedy the situation, to move from confrontation to dialogue, and in this regard, an in-person meeting between the two heads of state was really overdue – of course, with serious and thorough preparations, and this work has been done.
President Trump and I have established very good direct contacts. We have had frank conversations on the phone multiple times. As you know, the US President’s Special Envoy, Mr Witkoff, has visited us in Russia several times. Our aides and heads of foreign ministries have maintained regular contacts.
As you are well aware, the situation around Ukraine is one of the key issues. We acknowledge the commitment of the US administration and President Trump personally to help resolve the Ukrainian conflict, and the President’s willingness to understand the root causes and its origins.
I have repeatedly said that the developments in Ukraine present fundamental threats to Russia’s national security. Moreover, we have always considered the Ukrainian people – and I have said this many times – a brotherly people, no matter how strange it may sound in today’s circumstances. We share the same roots, and the current situation is tragic and deeply painful to us. Therefore, our country is sincerely interested in ending this.
Yet, we are convinced that, for the conflict resolution in Ukraine to be long-term and lasting, all the root causes of the crisis, which have been repeatedly explained, must be eliminated; all of Russia’s legitimate concerns must be taken into account, and a fair security balance must be restored in Europe and the rest of the world. <...>
Hopefully, the understanding we have reached will bring us closer to this goal and open up the road to peace in Ukraine. <...>
Today, we hear President Trump saying: “If I had been president, there would have been no war.” I believe it would have been so. I confirm this because President Trump and I have established a generally very good, businesslike and trustworthy contact. And I have every reason to believe that, as we move along this path, we can reach – and the sooner the better – the end of the conflict in Ukraine.
Read in full
#RussiaUS