The naval forces of Iran, China, and Russia are preparing to launch the eighth iteration of the joint “Maritime Security Belt” exercises, scheduled for mid-February in the northern Indian Ocean.

According to Iran’s Al-Alam TV website on Saturday, units from the Iranian Army Navy and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy will participate in the exercises, along with the navies of China and Russia, as part of efforts to strengthen military and maritime security cooperation among the three countries.

These exercises were first launched in 2019 at the initiative of the Iranian Navy, and seven successful rounds have been held to date.

Iran, Russia, China sign trilateral strategic pact

Jan. 29/26

The pact comes against the backdrop of decades of growing cooperation between these three states. Iran and Russia earlier concluded a 20-year Comprehensive Strategic Partnership Treaty designed to deepen economic, political, and defence ties, and to blunt the impact of Western sanctions — a treaty that was signed in January 2025 and entered into force last year.  Meanwhile, Iran and China have been bound by a 25-year cooperation agreement first signed in 2021, aimed at expanding trade, infrastructure, and energy integration.

What makes today’s signing significantly different, and newsworthy, is that it explicitly combines the three powers in a coordinated framework, aligning them on issues ranging from nuclear sovereignty and economic cooperation to military coordination and diplomatic strategy.

Officials in Tehran described the pact as a joint commitment to “mutual respect, sovereign independence and a rules-based international system that rejects unilateral coercion,” echoing similar statements issued by Beijing and Moscow.

AA

The leaders of Egypt and Iran discussed Iran’s nuclear file and efforts to reduce regional tensions during a phone call on Saturday, with Cairo stressing the need for diplomatic solutions and warning against military escalation, according to the Egyptian presidency.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi received the call from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the presidency said in a statement. The conversation addressed developments related to Iran’s nuclear program, with Sisi expressing Egypt’s “deep concern” over rising tensions in the region.

Sisi stressed the need to avoid escalation and rejected military solutions, underscoring that diplomacy remains “the only and optimal path” to resolving the crisis in a way that spares the Middle East further instability, the statement said.

The Egyptian president said Cairo continues to make intensive efforts to encourage the US and Iran to return to the negotiating table, with the aim of reaching a peaceful and comprehensive settlement of the nuclear issue.

Trump keeping Iran Plans close to his vest, leaving allies questioning

President Donald Trump said Saturday the United States is keeping its plans close to the vest as tensions with Iran intensify, even as reports Friday said key Gulf allies remain uncertain about Washington’s intentions and potential intervention.

Trump, in excerpts of a Saturday interview posted on X, declined to provide specifics about U.S. military planning, arguing that secrecy is essential — even with partners in the region seeking clarity.

“Well, we can’t tell them the plan,” Trump said. “If I told them the plan, it would be almost as bad as telling you the plan — it could be worse, actually.”

The comments came a day after reports that several Gulf allies are “in the dark” about what the United States may do next, raising questions about coordination with governments that host U.S. forces and could be affected by any escalation between Washington and Tehran.

Trump framed the situation as a mix of pressure and diplomacy, saying Iran has been communicating with the United States but leaving open the possibility of further action.

“But look, the plan is that [Iran is] talking to us, and we’ll see if we can do something, otherwise we’ll see what happens,” he said.

So…. Is Trump looking for an out? A face saving quick operation? Then he can claim to have stopped 9 wars? His ego is that huge. We’ll know soon enough either way? One thing I’m certain of we don’t need any more war.

Left this comment at X

World Politics

Recent clashes between pro-government militias in Tripoli once again threatened to unravel Libya’s tenuous frozen conflict. Yet beyond the headline-grabbing instability, a quieter power struggle is unfolding, one in which Turkey and Russia are emerging as the most consequential actors, with both Ankara and Moscow utilizing the country’s stalemate to entrench their own influence.

Still, the political and military fault lines that divide Libya are increasingly shaped by Turkey and Russia, who have settled into what analysts characterize as a “managed rivalry” or “adversarial collaboration,” as previously seen in other theaters where their interests simultaneously collide and overlap, such as Syria and the South Caucasus

Turkey’s Outreach

Turkey’s military intervention in 2020 decisively shifted the balance in Libya’s civil war, repelling an offensive on Tripoli launched by Haftar in April 2019 and setting the stage for the United Nations-brokered ceasefire that ended the fighting between the Tripoli and Tobruk governments later that year. Since then, Turkey has remained the GNU’s key patron, supplying military equipment such as Turkish-made armored vehicles, drones, air defense systems and artillery.

The Turkish parliament has continued to renew the military mandate for its forces in Libya, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan citing risks to Turkish interests if the GNU were to come under renewed assault. That deep level of support was almost certainly the decisive factor allowing Dbeibah and the GNU to retain the upper hand amid the recent unrest in Tripoli. 

While Turkey’s military intervention had guaranteed it a seat at Libya’s political table, Ankara has also secured oil and gas exploration deals with successive Tripoli-based administrations, beginning with a Memorandum of Understanding signed with the GNA in 2019 and later ratified by Dbeibah’s government in October 2022.

Although the Tripoli Court of Appeal ruled against the deal in February 2024, the GNU ultimately overrode the court’s decision. That underscores how Ankara’s outreach to Tripoli’s powerbrokers has advanced its maritime and energy interests in the Eastern Mediterranean, even as Turkey’s offshore territorial claims sparked tensions with Greece and Egypt, which said they infringed upon their own sovereignty.

Russia’s Ambitions

Russia’s engagement in Libya has also been consequential, but was previously subtler.

Moscow has become more open in its ties to Haftar, particularly following the fall of former dictator Bashar Al-Assad’s regime in Syria. In May, both Khalifa and Saddam Haftar traveled to Moscow for Russia’s World War II Victory Day celebrations, where they met senior officials and discussed expanding military cooperation, for which the elder Haftar expressed his gratitude.

The deepening relationship comes at a time when Moscow is looking to reassert its Mediterranean presence following its loss of influence in Syria, which had guaranteed it an Eastern Mediterranean naval base in Tartus. In February, satellite imagery showed Russia’s development of the Maaten Al Sarra airbase in southern Libya, where it had shipped S-300 and S-400 air defense systems. Around 1,000 Russian military personnel have also relocated to Libya from Syria.

I’ve read that Russia has been looking for option in Libya, but, there are also news reports such as the one below;

Libyan PM resists Russia’s move to reinforce military bases in country

Russia’s move to reinforce its military base in eastern Libya after the toppling of the Assad regime in Syria is facing resistance from the country’s UN-backed government.

The prime minister of the Tripoli-based government, Abdul Hamid Dabaiba, said he rejected any attempt to turn Libya into a centre for major-power conflicts, stressing that the country would not be a platform for settling international scores.

“We have concerns about moving international conflicts to Libya, and that it will become a battlefield between countries,” Dabaiba said.

Libya has been a battlefield between countries for some time now, sadly. Thanks to the US led NATO destruction/destabilization and brutal murder of Gaddafi. And I mean BRUTAL!!

Back to World Politics

Russia’s growing influence with the LNA would likely make approval for building a naval base easier. Haftar’s forces depend on Russia for their logistical networks and reportedly even require Russian approval to use certain military installations, indicating how much leverage Moscow has established over him.

Yet rather than being an unconditional ally, Russia arguably views Haftar as a means to an end, a tool to maintain influence in Libya and extend its reach into Africa. Still, the fact Haftar and his son have engaged with Ankara, too, shows that the family is willing to leverage the competing powers to gain recognition. Thus, Russia and Haftar’s ties can be deemed a “marriage of convenience.”

Indeed, like Turkey, Russia has also looked to the rival camp to hedge its bets. Moscow’s outreach to Tripoli has gained momentum over the past two years, with a delegation traveling to Tripoli to meet with GNU officials—including Dbeibah—as recently as April. Beyond potentially allowing Moscow to use western Libya as a launchpad for power projection deeper into Africa, this balancing act advances Russia’s energy interests, as Russian firms are now in talks with the Tripoli-based Presidential Council, which is aligned with the GNU, for exploration deals.

Russia’s entrenched role serves as a geopolitical bargaining chip, compelling European powers to engage with Moscow and advancing President Vladimir Putin’s stated vision of a multipolar world order. There is also a potential risk of Russia of weaponizing Libya’s energy sector; Haftar has previously blockaded oil facilities to pressure Tripoli, a tactic Moscow could exploit to disrupt or manipulate European energy supplies.

Even short of active sabotage, a future Russian naval base in Libya would almost certainly raise alarm in European capitals. Yet all of this would likely be consolidated within a frozen conflict, one increasingly sustained by competing Russian and Turkish involvement.

Marriage of Convenience aka RealPolitik

Meanwhile, Washington has largely disengaged from Libya’s conflict, aside from recent inflammatory suggestions that it would relocate migrants and even displaced Palestinians from Gaza to Libya. Both proposals were swiftly condemned, in part due to the country’s lack of security and high risk of human trafficking.

With Western involvement waning, any U.N.-backed efforts to unify the rival administrations under a single government, push for domestic reform or hold elections will almost certainly require Turkish buy-in. Persuading Moscow to scale back support for Haftar and relinquish its strategic foothold in the Mediterranean and Africa, will prove far more difficult.

I’m not so sure western involvement has waned- That all said, Libya is definitely a nation to watch.

A new legislative initiative in the U.S. Congress seeks to institutionalize America’s interest in promoting the India-Middle East-Europe Corridor (IMEC), with a particular emphasis on the Eastern Mediterranean region.

Titled “Law for the Eastern Mediterranean as a Strategic Gateway,” the bill, introduced by Illinois Congressman Brad Schneider, directs U.S. attention toward critical infrastructures in IMEC member countries, such as Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt, to strengthen connectivity.

In this context, the legislation:

• Specifically highlights the importance of certain energy projects, including the Great Sea Interconnector, the Greece-Egypt GREGY electricity link, the Greece-Bulgaria pipeline, and new liquefied natural gas terminals, which will facilitate IMEC’s implementation.
• Calls for the U.S. Secretary of State to explore the possibility of expanding bilateral research and development programs, currently applied to Israel, to other regional countries.
• Urges the U.S. Secretary of State to support multilateral regional cooperation frameworks, emphasizing the “3+1” scheme and the CYCLOPS center in Cyprus, presented as an example of regional collaboration.
• Encourages strengthening Israel’s diplomatic and economic ties with neighboring countries to promote regional integration.

Finally, the new legislation mandates annual reports to Congress on progress in multilateral initiatives and the completion of defense and energy projects.

https://pennyforyourthoughts2.ca/2025/05/07/israel-announces-plans-to-seize-gaza-land-resource-grab-ethnic-cleansing/

This resource control/grab has been long in the works- As I’d written about in 2017 at my old site. Moved here in April 2025. The US is formalizing their plans through Congressional mandates


https://pennyforyourthoughts2.ca/2025/04/03/1st-flashback-2017-greece-israel-stars-aligned-italy-cyprus-to-discuss-east-mediterranean-pipeline/

There are massive gas fields in the Mediterranean-

While Presidents and parties may change, long term goals remain

The US and Israel have rejected an Arab plan for the post-war reconstruction of the Gaza Strip that would allow the 2.1 million Palestinians living there to stay in place.

The proposal, endorsed by Arab leaders at a summit in Cairo, is their alternative to President Donald Trump’s idea for the US to take over Gaza and permanently resettle its population.

The Palestinian Authority and Hamas welcomed the Arab plan, which calls for Gaza to be governed temporarily by a committee of independent experts and for international peacekeepers to be deployed there.

But both the White House and Israeli foreign ministry said it failed to address realities in Gaza and stood by Trump’s vision.

Israel has blocked aid from entering the territory to pressure Hamas to accept a new US (Israel) proposal for a temporary extension of the truce, during which more hostages held in Gaza would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

The $53bn (£41bn) Arab plan for rebuilding Gaza once the war ends was presented by Egypt at an emergency Arab League summit on Tuesday.

A statement endorsing the plan stressed “the categorical rejection of any form of displacement of the Palestinian people”, describing such an idea as “a gross violation of international law, a crime against humanity and ethnic cleansing”.

Middle East Eye for additional reading

And yes Israel reneged as expected, with Trump on side.

May 30 (UPI) — The Israeli military said its forces have gained control of Gaza’s so-called Philadelphi Corridor, ( the name used by Israel) a demilitarized buffer zone that runs along the eight-mile border between southern Gaza and Egypt that Israel says served as a Hamas “lifeline.”

The IDF says that it is in ‘operational’ control of the buffer zone on Egypt’s border, a move which risks complicating relations with Cairo, amid Rafah offensive

Hagari did not spell out what “operational” control referred to, but an Israeli military official earlier said there were Israeli “boots on the ground” along parts of the corridor

IDF claims:

The operation by the Israel Defense Forces‘ 162nd armored division as part of its ongoing offensive in Rafah captured 20 tunnels used by Hamas to smuggle weapons into Gaza and dozens of launch pits with loaded rocket launchers used to bombard Israeli territory, IDF Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said at a Wednesday night news briefing.

“Hamas exploited the Philadelphi Corridor, using it to build this infrastructure just dozens of meters from the border with Egypt so that we would not strike them. This infrastructure was located between 10 and 40 meters from the border, specifically so that Israel would not strike near the fence with Egypt.

The IDF further claims:

“I remind you that in recent weeks, Hamas has fired about 70 rockets and mortars from the Rafah area.”

Creating the perceptions. Israel is making these claims so they can present the numerous strikes on civilians in refugee camps as justified. All though it was the plan. I’m getting a narrative creation vibe that is deadly and dangerous. The US had prior knowledge of this move by Israel

Capturing the corridor means Israel now controls all of Gaza’s land borders.

Why wouldn’t Hagari confirm the veracity of off the record comments?

“I can’t say now that all of these tunnels cross into Egypt,” he said, explaining that troops were “investigating and neutralizing” the tunnels as they went along and that the intelligence would be shared with Egypt.

Egyptian media quoted sources rejecting the cross-border tunnel claims and accusing Israel of attempting to legitimize its military operation in Rafah and drag out the conflict for domestic “political purposes.”

“These lies reflect the magnitude of the crisis facing the Israeli government,” the official said.

“Israel continues its attempts to export lies about on-the-ground conditions for its forces in Rafah in order to obscure its military failure and to find an escape for its political crisis.”

“There is no truth to Israeli media reports of the existence of tunnels on the Egyptian border with Gaza,” the source told Al-Qahera, which is linked to state intelligence. “Israel is using these allegations to justify continuing the operation on the Palestinian city of Rafah and prolonging the war for political purposes.”

Egypt has previously said it has destroyed hundreds of cross-border tunnels with Gaza since 2013.

The tunnels row erupted as Israel named four soldiers killed in combat operations over the past two nights in the Dahaniya district of Rafah and northern Gaza as Staff Sgt. Amir Galilov; Staff Sgt. Uri Bar Or; Staff. Sgt. Ido Appel; and Staff Sgt. Yedidya Azugi.

Earlier this month, Israel and Egypt became embroiled in a diplomatic row after the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) seized control of the Rafah crossing. The capture of the corridor signals that Israel has deepened its offensive in southern Gaza and further threatens relations with Egypt.

Two Egyptian officials said the latest round of discussions had ended. They said Hamas presented a proposal that mediators would discuss with Israel in the coming days.

Benny Gantz, a member of Netanyahu’s War Cabinet and his main political rival, met with senior U.S. officials in Washington on a visit that drew a rebuke from the prime minister, the latest sign of a growing rift within Israel’s leadership.

But Israel isn’t participating.

The Cairo talks have been billed as a final hurdle to reach the first extended ceasefire in the war between Hamas and Israel – a 40-day truce during which Israeli hostages would be freed and aid pumped into Gaza – ahead of Ramadan, which is due to begin on March 10.

“The delegation will remain in Cairo on Tuesday for more talks, they are expected to wrap up this round later today,” a Hamas official told Reuters.

Egypt’s Al Qahera television also reported the talks had been extended for a third day, but said they were “facing difficulties”.

The Israelis have stayed away from this round of negotiations

Erdogan does not meet with him- The meeting is at the foreign minister level, only.

– U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed the situation in Gaza on Monday with Turkey’s foreign minister, part of Blinken’s efforts to calm regional tensions over the war between Israel and the militant Palestinian group Hamas.

Blinken, who is touring the Middle East region, landed in Ankara on Sunday evening and held talks with Turkey’s Hakan Fidan on Monday morning followed by a meeting of delegations.

The meeting between Blinken and Fidan lasted two and a half hours, a U.S. State Department official said. No talks were scheduled between Blinken and President Tayyip Erdogan, who has criticised the U.S. over its “unlimited support to Israel”.

Washington wants to prevent a wider regional conflict and has stepped up diplomacy with countries across the region whose peoples have been angered by Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.

Health officials in Hamas-controlled Gaza said more than 9,770 Palestinians have been killed so far in the war, which began when Hamas killed 1,400 people and seized more than 240 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7.

Israel has likely killed more than 10,000 already

Blinken wraps up Mideast tour calling for pauses in Gaza fighting

U.S. officials are seeking to convince Israel of the strategic importance of respecting the laws of war by protecting non-combatants and significantly boosting deliveries of humanitarian aid to Gaza’s beleaguered civilian population.

It remained unclear, however, if Netanyahu would agree to temporary, rolling pauses in the massive operation to eradicate Hamas — or whether outrage among Palestinians and their supporters could be assuaged if he did.

Already Jordan and Turkey have recalled their ambassadors to Israel to protest its tactics and the tide of international opinion appears to be turning from sympathy toward Israel in the aftermath of Oct. 7 to revulsion as images of death and destruction in Gaza spread around the world.

On Saturday in the Jordanian capital of Amman, both the Egyptian and Jordanian foreign ministers appeared at a joint news conference with Blinken. The two said Israel’s war had gone beyond self-defense and could no longer be justified as it now amounted to collective punishment of the Palestinian people.

Compiled by Chris Devonshire-Ellis

Last week’s Xi-Putin summit has immediately ushered in substantial global dialogue in reconstructing a ‘new world order’ to which the collective West has not been privy. Enhanced cooperation between the SCO, EAEU, CIS, and a rapidly developing BRICS+ could well be a harbinger of ‘global çhanges’ – words used by Xi to Putin as he departed Moscow. We highlight what these are.

On a regional basis, we look at the China / Vietnam competition debate and discuss opportunities in the Philippines as part of RCEP. In Central Asia, we highlight the impact of the BRI in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, and in the Middle East look at Chinese regional influence. Russia is developing financial ties in Africa, while the first Beijing direct freight train is shortly to arrive in Moscow.

CHINA

China, Russia, Propose Global Trade and Cooperation ‘New Era’

With the Putin-Xi Summit now over, the Joint China-Russia Comprehensive Strategic Statement from both proposes a multi-polar world. Their existing allies may have the collective means to globally instigate this, despite Western objections.

THE DIALOGUE OF INTEGRATIONS

Commonwealth of Independent States, Eurasian Economic Union, Shanghai Cooperation Organisation and the BRICS Discuss An Economic Partnership

An International Forum named “The Dialogue of Integrations” held between the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), and the BRICS has been held in Moscow under the auspices of the Business Centre for Economic Cooperation of the CIS and the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth of Independent States. Western nations were not invited.

XI-PUTIN SUMMIT

The Putin-Xi Summit – Their Joint Statement and Analysis

In a statement largely derided in the West, the Chinese and Russian Presidents have released a “Joint Comprehensive Strategic Plan For A New Era” following their Moscow summit. Yet much of the West’s political commentary focuses only on their security concerns and omits broader global interests. In this article, we analyze the complete statement and unpack what it means, the implications of this, and the implied upcoming changes from a multipolar perspective.

BRICS

The BRICS Has Overtaken The G7 In Global GDP

The India-based Megh Updates platform, one of the world’s largest online informational platforms in terms of views, has stated that BRICS countries have officially overtaken G7 in the share of world PPP GDP, and this trend can be expected to continue.

Egypt Becomes A Member Of The BRICS New Development Bank

Egypt joins the original five members along with Bangladesh and UAE in acquiring a position within the BRICS bank equity, as BRICS+ becomes a reality.

ASIAN

Can Vietnam Replace China? No, And it was Never Supposed to Either

An opinion piece in Bloomberg titled ‘Trying to Replace China’s Supply Chains? Don’t Bother?’, published March 1, 2023, claims that ‘Vietnamese factories were supposed to save globalization’ but that they cannot. This is incorrect and here’s why, writes Dezan Shira and Associates, Head of Vietnam Business Intelligence, Pritesh Samuel.

Philippines Ratifies RCEP Agreement: Opportunities for Businesses

The Philippines Senate has officially ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Agreement, making the country the last signatory aside from Myanmar to conclude this significant trade deal. Having signed off the RCEP, we discuss prospects in key growth sectors in the Philippines – agriculture, BPO, and electronics.

CENTRAL ASIA

EBRD Report: Anti-Russian Sanctions Are Boosting Central Asian Economies

Countries in Central Asia and the South Caucasus have made impressive trade development strides thanks to the intermediary trade in goods from Western countries to Russia. After the introduction of sanctions, the trade turnover of the European Union with Russia’s neighbors to the East increased many times, while their Russia trade also increased. Intra-EAEU trade was up 40% in 2022.

Uzbekistan Wants China Relations To Progress From Trade To Investment

Since the implementation of Uzbekistan’s new economic policy last year, the country’s economic cooperation with external powers, including Russia, China, and the countries of the European Union has deepened considerably, with the Chinese presence in Uzbekistan deemed significant. In this article, we analyze the current economic cooperation between Uzbekistan and China.

Turkmenistan’s Opportunities and Challenges from China’s Belt & Road Initiative

Turkmenistan acts as China’s corridor for cooperation in the cross-border transportation system, increasing the number and volume of container train traffic and reaching the markets of South Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, and the Caspian Sea. Beijing also wants to reach the West through Turkmenistan and the Central Asia-Caspian Sea-Caucasus route. This means that the BRI is opening up Turkmenistan to China and other important markets in Central Asia and the Middle East.

MIDDLE EAST

Why The UAE Joined The BRICS New Development Bank

The United Arab Emirates joined the (BRICS) New Development Bank (NDB) in September 2021. With the BRICS including Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, with Mexico also poised to join, the bloc is poised for additional expansion during 2023.

China and The Developing Multipolar Order in the Middle East

The recent Iran / Saudi Arabia agreement lays out a step-by-step program on re-instating severed relations between the two nations. This was brokered by China and speaks volumes about Beijing’s growing influence in the Middle East. We discuss the implications.

RUSSIA

Proposals Made For Establishing A Joint Russia-African Bank

Proposals have been made by Burkina Faso for a Russia-Africa Trade Policy Bank to better service pan-African Russia trade. We discuss the likely interested trade investment parties.

First Moscow Direct Freight Train Departs From Beijing

The route is about 9,000km long. The goods being transported include auto parts, building materials, home appliances, fabrics, clothing, home furnishings, and so on. Many are Chinese manufactured replacements for European products.

The current situation is epochal, and the “battle” is being fought over what the world order will look like, said Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

“This is a fateful, epochal moment in modern history, because it reflects the ‘battle’, in the broadest sense of the word, for what the world order will look like,” the minister said in an interview with RBK television.

Asked why the situation in Ukraine could not be resolved peacefully, the head of Russian diplomacy answered that the reason was “that the West did not want to resolve the situation around Ukraine peacefully.”

The United States does not want the Ukrainian crisis to be resolved, Lavrov said. According to him, “the United States certainly plays a decisive role in defining the position of the Kiev authorities.”

America has subjugated almost all of Europe

The Minister emphasized that the United States of America subjugated almost the whole of Europe. As he says, almost all EU countries, with the exception of France, have already “fallen” under the United States.

“Under the leadership of President Joseph Biden, America has set itself the task of subjugating Europe and achieving its unconditional commitment to American policy. Many years ago, the West stopped using the term‘ international law ’, which is primarily embodied in the UN Charter , and coined the term ‘rules-based world order’. “Those rules were written in a narrow circle, and those who accepted them were encouraged by the West,” Lavrov believes.

According to the Russian minister, Europe is “ready to accept the world order imposed by Washington in any form.”

“The only thing left is the work of Emanuel Macron, who still reminds of the need for strategic autonomy of the European Union.” “No one will allow that, and all other EU members have already ‘fallen’ under the Americans, as they say,” Lavrov noted.

Asked to describe current Russian-American relations, the diplomat said he “does not remember such an absolutely furious policy that Washington is now pursuing, which is largely generated in Congress, where they have lost their sense of reality, rejected all conventions, not to mention on diplomatic competence. “

There is hope for a compromise

At the same time, he assessed that the Russian-Ukrainian negotiations are not easy, but that there is hope for a compromise. According to him, the business spirit is beginning to be manifested in the negotiations, which gives hope that it is possible to agree on the issue of Ukraine’s neutral status.

“I very much hope that this business spirit will prevail, which is now beginning to manifest itself, not immediately and not easily.” He instills hope that we will be able to agree on that topic, “the Russian minister stressed.

There are concrete formulations in the negotiations with Ukraine that we can agree on, says the head of Russian diplomacy. According to him, the parties are now seriously discussing the neutral status of Ukraine in the negotiations in conjunction with Russia’s security guarantees.

I am focusing on the assessments given by our negotiators, Lavrov said, stating that the negotiators state that negotiations are difficult for understandable reasons and that they should be given the opportunity to work in a more relaxed atmosphere, without hysteria.

“But still, there is some hope of reaching a compromise,” the minister explained.

In this regard, he added that “such an assessment is given by some representatives of the Ukrainian delegation, and that President Vladimir Zelenski himself recently made numerous interesting statements.” In particular, Lavrov reminded that the Ukrainian president assessed the positions of the parties in the negotiations as “more realistic”.

According to the minister, the reaction of NATO, which still has reasonable people, to Zelensky’s appeal for the Alliance to close the skies over Ukraine and fight on its side, brought the Ukrainian leader down to earth.

“We are ready to look for all ways to ensure the security of Ukraine, European countries and, of course, the Russian Federation, except through NATO expansion to the east,” Lavrov explained.

Russia will be ready for contacts with the Ukrainian side in the future, but it is necessary to understand how much additional value such contacts will have, he added.

The head of the Russian diplomacy assessed that there are always chances for peace and resolving the situation around Ukraine, as well as that Switzerland offers its mediation in the crisis between Moscow and Kiev.

Moscow believes that some change in the rhetoric of the Ukrainian authorities is encouraging, as well as that it is possible that some confrontational initiatives have been encouraged from abroad in order for Russia to “get off track”, Lavrov said.

The West is turning the Ukrainians against the Russians

At the same time, he assessed that the West and Ukrainian extremists began to “debilitate” the Ukrainian people and turn them against the Russians.

“I am convinced that most of our citizens have no problems or demands with the Ukrainian people, as the Ukrainian people have never had towards Russia. But they started to ‘debilitate’ the Ukrainian people, we recently invented that verb.” him against the Russians in all possible ways, “the minister emphasized.

Lavrov said that he loves Ukrainian culture, the Ukrainian language and its humor.

“We have never had any pretensions towards the Ukrainian people. I have many Ukrainian friends.” I love Ukrainian culture – that soft Ukrainian language, I love Ukrainian cuisine and their humor, which always contains self-irony and often reveals the cunning inherent in the Ukrainian character, “said the head of Russian diplomacy.

Unprecedented pressure on countries that support Russia

At the same time, the diplomat stated that the countries that support Russia in the situation around Ukraine are under unprecedented pressure.

“There are such countries, and there are many of them. I don’t want to use obscene expressions, but the pressure they came under is not only unprecedented, but I could never have imagined.” I knew that the Americans were ready for many things in order to prevent any positive changes towards a real multipolar world, but that they would do such a dirty job, unworthy of a great power, I could not imagine in a nightmare, “Lavrov emphasized.

According to the diplomat, Washington is putting extreme pressure on China, Turkey and other countries because of Russia. In that regard, he added that “it is even more devastating that such blackmail is used against ancient civilizations such as China, India, Egypt, as well as that the Turks were asked about the S-400 systems.”

He estimated that the role of the dollar would fall, as well as trust in it, due to Washington’s policy. As he says, some countries are already thinking that it might be more convenient for them to trade in yuan, and not in dollars.

“And this process cannot be stopped,” the foreign minister added.