MOSCOW, February 18. /TASS/. Europe's behavior at the Munich Security Conference has once again confirmed that the "vampire ball" is nearing its end, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters.
She noted that the Russian delegation at the Geneva talks had clear instructions to adhere to the understandings reached at the Alaska summit. In addition, Zakharova slammed the BBC's publication about Russia's abuse of Interpol mechanisms as a "smear campaign."
TASS has compiled the diplomat’s key statements.
Results of latest round of Geneva talks
The Russian delegation will brief the country’s officials on the talks in Geneva on the Ukrainian settlement; the Russian Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the results: "The talks have just ended. We cannot comment on anything at this stage. We are waiting for news from there."
"This information will, of course, be provided by our country's authorized representatives in the delegation, as has always been the case."
The Russian delegation at the Geneva talks "had clear instructions" to adhere to the understandings reached at the Alaska summit.
Ukrainian conflict
Europe's statements about its intention to supply Kiev with weapons despite the peace talks shows that it does not want peace in Ukraine: "This suggests that they only have one thing in mind: continuing the slaughter and the hybrid war."
If the West and the Ukrainian authorities believe that Russia will pause its special military operation and allow Kiev to be rearmed, then "let them look for such fools among themselves."
The Kiev regime, supported by the West, has intensified attacks on civilians in Russian regions ahead of the next round of negotiations on the Ukrainian settlement in Geneva.
Japan's participation in purchasing arms for the Ukrainian armed forces "further complicates Russian-Japanese relations, which, thanks to Tokyo's efforts, are already in a state of deep stagnation."
Dutch mercenaries are flying Western aircraft supplied to the Ukrainian armed forces, and they should not expect mercy: "Mercenaries are not covered by international law. They are not subject to the Geneva Convention. We also recommend that they read eyewitness accounts before going to the front."
First, The Hague supplied the Kiev regime with 24 decommissioned F-16 fighter jets, and now "decommissioned pilots have been added to the decommissioned equipment."
The actions of UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres "are becoming an obstacle" to the settlement in Ukraine and are damaging the organization. He should "keep his own opinions or his government's approaches to himself and behave in a manner befitting his position."
Relations with West
The Norwegian intelligence report on threats from Russia is nothing but insinuations that have nothing to do with reality: "The Norwegian intelligence services see the ‘hand of the Kremlin’ everywhere."
Any attempts by NATO countries to interfere with Russia's policy of responsible development of the Far North and care for the region's inhabitants are doomed to failure: "If anyone is to blame for the rapid deterioration of the situation in the Arctic, our Arctic colleagues should take a closer look in the mirror. I cannot guarantee that they will see anything there, in particular their own reflection. But there will certainly be no Russia or China there."
London's intention to increase defense spending is fully considered in the work of the relevant Russian authorities, who are "drawing the appropriate conclusions and selecting tactics and countermeasures."
The British Broadcasting Corporation's claim that Russia uses Interpol's wanted list to persecute critics abroad is a hoax: "This is yet another example of how this British television channel — which, incidentally, is state-owned — spreads disinformation, accusing Russia of abusing the channels of international organizations, in particular the international criminal police organization."
Ottawa's official course towards further escalation will lead to "irreversible consequences" in relations with Russia, which are "already badly damaged" due to Canada's actions.
Russia will respond to any steps Canada may take regarding Russian diplomatic property: "We will respond appropriately, either mirroring, symmetrically, or asymmetrically, depending on the nature of the steps and actions taken by Canada against our country."
Russian hydrocarbons
There is no "reason to believe" that India has changed its position on buying Russian hydrocarbons: "India's purchase of Russian hydrocarbons benefits both countries and helps maintain stability in the international energy market."
"The claims of US President Donald Trump, as well as US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, to the right to dictate to independent states with whom they should trade are not new; they have spoken about this before."
Situation in Middle East
Russia hopes that following the talks between the US and Iran, "the region will not be drawn into a new military gamble with devastating consequences."
Moscow's position on the Board of Peace is "being worked out," including "taking into account the positions of our Middle East partners."
Munich Conference
The Munich Security Conference is losing its role as a platform for discussing serious issues: "The trend continues whereby the Munich Conference is losing its status as a platform for serious discussions on the problems facing the world."
Participants at the conference "once again engaged in searching for external enemies" and sorting out their relations with each other.
Europe's behavior at the event once again confirmed that "the vampire ball is coming to an end."
In many respects, the Munich Security Conference is noticeably inferior to universal platforms such as the Minsk International Conference on Eurasian Security, the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), and the Valdai International Discussion Club: "That's where topics close to reality are discussed."
Western lies
Rather than responding to Russia's requests, Western countries created a meme about the poisoning of Alexey Navalny (who is on Russia's list of terrorists and extremists) with tree frog poison: "They're creating an information agenda with vivid memes and traps to attract the average person's attention and give them something to latch onto."
The West is again using the Navalny case to cover up the case of US financier Jeffrey Epstein, who was convicted of pedophilia: "There are these so-called stories about the Skripals and Navalny, which they have been hyping up for years and pull out when they are in a tight spot."