Ambassador Andrei Kelin's interview to Neave Barker on Al Jaze | Russian MFA 🇷🇺
Ambassador Andrei Kelin's interview to Neave Barker on Al Jazeera English, 02 February, 2023
Watch the interview:
Main topics:
- Ukrainian conflict
- Special military operation
- Weapons supply to Ukraine
- Minsk Agreements
- Opposition in Russia and Ukraine
- Russia-NATO relations
- Prospects of the New START treaty
- Prospects for Peace talks btw Russia and Ukraine
Key statements:
The Ukrainian conflict didn’t start a year ago, but in 2014 when extremely nationalistic government came to power as a result of the Maidan Revolution.
The major policy of the Kiev regime was to exterminate Russians, our culture and our language, kill Russians especially in Donbass.
Now we have a clear view that Minsk Agreements were an imitation of diplomacy. Germany, France, the US and the UK didn’t intent to resolve the internal Ukrainian crisis by Minsk Agreements.
The Minsk Agreements were for the West just a way to win time to reinforce the regime in Kiev and turn Ukraine into an adversary state towards Russia.
NATO refused to listen to Russia’s objective security concerns and warnings. This resulted in the current Ukraine crisis.
According to the official statistic of the UN 12 thousand people were killed in Ukraine from 2014 to 2022, the most part of them - in Donbass.
The longer will be the reach of weapons received by Ukraine from the West, the further we would need to push back the frontline in order to protect our security and ensure safety of our citizens.
What has happened in Bucha was staged by Ukrainian special forces, this is a fact.
Opposition is totally exterminated in Ukraine.
We had been trying to establish good relations btw Russia and NATO until it has started to bomb Yugoslavia.
NATO destroyed Iraq under absolutely false pretext and Libya, which still struggle.
We have seen seven waves of NATO enlargement towards Russian borders.
NATO countries, with UK among the leaders, are getting deeper and deeper involved into the Ukraine conflict.
It is an illusion that Ukraine can prevail in the conflict, the Russian industrial potential is incomparable.
There are no circumstances in the current Ukraine conflict in which Russia might use nuclear weapons.
Russia has not withdrawn but suspended participation in New START. Treaty’s main elements, incl info exchange on launches and keeping to warhead limits, remain in force. Reversal is possible but first we need to see reversal of the US anti-Russia policy.
Ukraine is now totally dependent on Western assistance and losing its potential.
Russia is ready for peace talks at any time. However it was Ukraine who, on a legislative basis, made talks impossible upon orders from the West which wants Ukraine to continue fighting.
#Kelin #NATO #UK #Russia #Ukraine #MinskAgreements #Kiev #SpecialMilitaryOperation #NewStart
