MOSCOW, March 26. /TASS/. Moscow needs to make sure that the Kiev regime’s military capacity poses no danger to the safety of Russian people, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in an interview with aif.ru.
"Let’s be guided by what the president says: we now have four new Russian regions and we must ensure the safety of people there and liberate the lands that remain occupied by the Kiev regime," he noted.
"We must take action to make sure that the Kiev regime’s military capacity poses no danger to the safety of our people and regions," Peskov stressed.
He added that Russia was currently taking the measures that need to be taken to ensure the country’s future.
"We are indeed going through a very difficult period in the history of the two peoples, the two nations [Russia and Ukraine]. Our country is taking the measures that it must take to ensure its own future. It is fighting against a state which, unfortunately, was infected with neo-Nazism in 2014," he noted.
Peskov considers that it is absurd and futile to discuss a peace plan on Ukraine without Russia.
"A lot of countries are seeking to contribute to resolving the situation around Ukraine peacefully; they are ready to join various efforts. We understand it and welcome such an approach. However, is it possible to find a solution to the Ukraine issue without Russia? The answer is simple: it’s not," he pointed out.
Peskov noted that "Ukraine has turned into a tool in the hands of the collective West that they seem to be going to use to wear Russia down, contain Russia and leave it behind in every sense of the word and if possible, finish it off." "They are talking about it almost openly; they are at ease about it. Ukraine and the Ukrainian people have turned into a tool and no one feels sorry about using them up," he added. According to Peskov, there are also other issues that need to be discussed. "Undoubtedly, it’s absurd and futile to discuss it all without us," the Kremlin spokesman stressed.
He explained that it was important for Moscow to make sure that Ukraine had no aggressive plans against Russia. "In particular, they want to take Crimea from us by force. How can we accept the existence of a neighboring country whose official documents allow the use of any methods to take Crimea away from us? To say nothing of the new regions," Peskov added.
When speaking about plans by Ukraine and the West to invite Russia’s partners to "a peace summit," he said: "The Americans are twisting the arms of all countries that try to continue boosting trade and economic ties with us." "Some countries protect their independence in a rather tough manner but for others, it’s more difficult to resist, and we understand that," the Russian presidential spokesman emphasized.
However, Peskov has no doubt that the people of Russia and Ukraine will restore communication in the foreseeable future.
"I have no doubt that once it’s over, our people will restore communication. It will happen quickly enough by historical standards," he noted.
Peskov noted that his wife Tatyana Navka, an Olympic gold medalist in ice dancing, came from the Ukrainian city of Dnepropetrovsk. According to Peskov, a while ago, she lost contact with her childhood friends in the city but ties were restored after her friends had moved to the EU. She also has a lot of family members in Ukraine with whom she has been unable to maintain contact, Peskov said. "However, I am sure that the situation will improve with time," he added.
When asked if it was possible to bridge the gap between those who supported and opposed the current Russian authorities’ policies, Peskov said: “I would not say that there is a gap. It’s more correct to say that almost all of society agrees with Putin’s policy. There also are those who oppose it. However, it’s a small part of society; they are few. There is no need to exaggerate their number."
Kremlin Spokesman noted that Putin’s election win with 87% of the vote was phenomenal.
"The result that Putin achieved in the election is unprecedented. Gaining 87% of the vote after being in power for 24 years is phenomenal in global terms, particularly because voter turnout was so high. The election was also unprecedentedly clear as observers did not voice any serious complaints," he said.
As for the EU’s decision to send profits from Russia’s frozen assets to Ukraine, Moscow will not leave it unanswered, the Kremlin spokesman stressed.
"The Europeans understand that we will challenge the decision. Perhaps, it will take decades but we won’t leave it unanswered," he noted.
Peskov pointed out that if such a decision was made, the Europeans "will ruin their own investment attractiveness and the foundations of commercial law, which is the basis of their economy." "The reason why is that private property and countries’ rights to their assets are believed to be sacred things that cannot be touched. If they violate the rule once, they will get an immediate reaction from investors and will tarnish the image that they had been building for decades. Simply put, they will shoot themselves in the foot," he explained.
Russia’s assets frozen by the EU, the US, Japan and Canada amount to about $300 bln. Most of the funds are in Europe. The Belgium-based clearing house Euroclear said that it had earned 4.4 bln euros from the frozen Russian assets in 2023.
EU nations earlier adopted a directive stating that the proceeds of Russia's frozen assets did not belong to the country. The directive requires private platforms, primarily Euroclear, to transfer all profits from the assets to a separate account. The European Commission plans to establish a tax of almost 100% on these funds as the next step. The funds will be expropriated to the EU budget through the tax. The European Commission intends to use them to partially finance a 50 billion euro aid program for Ukraine until 2027. The EU approved this program at a summit on February 1, but the sources of funding have not yet been clearly determined.
Peskov also did not ignore the issue regarding the participation of Russian athletes in international sports events. He expressed regret that international sports had become "hostage to political squabbles." "This will have disastrous consequences for it," the Kremlin spokesman noted.
"However, on the other hand, if something starts to rot, then new sprouts emerge somewhere else. We will look forward to the Russian sports authorities’ efforts to establish new platforms for international sports and create alternative international sports competitions in order for sports to be able to progress," Peskov emphasized.
Commenting on Russia-Armenia relations, Peskov said that outside forces would not be able to bring stability to the Caucasus.
Yerevan has been actively engaging the European Union in efforts to resolve the issues facing the Caucasus region. In particular, Armenia has approved an EU observer mission to the border with Azerbaijan against Baku’s will.
"Unfortunately, the Caucasus region has been the focus of attention for various non-regional forces. We are confident that the involvement of these forces should be greatly restricted because it cannot bring stability and prosperity there," Peskov pointed out.