MOSCOW/NEW DELHI, September 8. /TASS/. Moscow is confident in an imminent victory, and combat operations are progressing very successfully for Russia, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated during a briefing for Indian media ahead of the BRICS summit in New Delhi.
He also noted that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India, which will take place in a few days, will be significant for both countries.
TASS has compiled the key statements by the Kremlin spokesman.
Conflict in Ukraine
Russia did not want and did not start the war in Ukraine but it is trying to stop it: "We actually never wanted this war. What we’re trying to do, we’re trying to stop the war that was launched before, and it was not launched by us. It was not started by us."
Russia remains open to the peaceful settlement of the Ukrainian conflict: "We do want the solution of the Ukrainian conflict by peaceful means, and Russia is open for this process."
India’s position regarding the Ukrainian conflict largely coincides with Russia’s: "We know the position of India on the Ukrainian conflict, and to great extent it corresponds with our own position".
Russia has to achieve its goals regarding Ukraine through a special military operation, although it would prefer to do so by peaceful means: "We have to reach our goals during the special military operation, but we would prefer to do it in a peaceful way."
Russian troops are advancing in the special military operation zone: ""The dynamics on the front is known to all the experts. We’re moving forward."
Russia is confident in an imminent victory: "We are sure that the victory is very near. We are very confident in our military potential, in our military. Our military actions are going on very successfully."
Russia welcomes any efforts by other countries to achieve a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine: "We welcome all the attempts to make any contribution in the sphere of the Ukraine settlement. We welcome the willingness of the Indian side to contribute. We welcome the efforts of American President President Trump."
Moscow expects the resumption of trilateral negotiations with Washington and Kiev to resolve the Ukrainian crisis: "We hope that there will be some movement in this respect. We hope to restart negotiations between three parties: Russian, Ukrainian, and American."
The conflict in Ukraine could have ended long ago, but Kiev, being incited by Europeans, does not want an end to it: "I wouldn’t say that Kiev is that flexible, and I wouldn’t say that Kiev is really willing to stop this war. Should they be willing to do that, the war [would have] been over for a long time, but they’re being provoked to great extent by some European countries."
Europeans are inciting Kiev to go to war and deluding themselves with the hope of achieving a "strategic defeat" of Russia: "They [the Kiev authorities] are still being provoked to a great extent by some European countries that cannot get rid of the idea of strategically defeating Russia. We will not let that happen, and we’re not letting that happen."
Indian citizens participating in the special military operation will be returned home as soon as their identities are established and a list of names is compiled: "Now the work is being done to make a list of those Indian citizens, who are now on the battlefield, and they will be sent back home as soon as they are determined. We are in very deep contact, profound contact with the Indian side on this issue."
Dangers of trying to preserve a unipolar world
Attempts to preserve a unipolar system in the world are very dangerous: "Unipolar system is actually collapsing, it is losing losing its competitiveness, and then at the same time, the unipolar system is trying to regain power, taking sometimes very harsh steps, injuring the global system, the global economy, the global environment and politics, the global system of international law. So this is a very dangerous process."
The global majority, represented by BRICS, is striving for a different world order: "Where every country is equal to another, where every country has a right to a say, where every country has the right to fair competition and trade, where every country is secured from any illegal sanctions or illegal pressure, where every country can secure its national interests without without experiencing somebody’s pressure and demands to do otherwise."
Sanctions and de-dollarization
Russia is not seeking de-dollarization: "It’s not because we are aiming for de-dollarization <…>. To the contrary, we’re open to every acceptable method of payment. But you know that certain countries are using some national currencies as a tool for political pressure".
Since some countries do not allow Russia to use their currency for trade, Russia must use rubles: "So, if they don’t let us use their money, we use our own money."
The United States itself is undermining confidence in the dollar as a reserve currency: "The more trust is ruined, the more trust goes in favor of national currencies. This is the process, and this is the nature of the process."
Russia considers Western sanctions unacceptable: "Of course, we do not accept, and we consider it to be definitely illegal in terms of international law, any attempts to introduce limitations on international trade and to threaten other countries' third parties for doing trade with others."
Russia intends to discuss this issue as part of settling the Ukrainian crisis, but the settlement itself is of paramount importance to Moscow: "[The] issue of sanctions is on the agenda. It is not in the front row because the settlement itself is the issue number one, but it’s an untakable part of the whole agenda of the peaceful settlement around Ukraine."
Putin’s visit to India and bilateral relations
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to India, which will take place in a few days, will be significant for both countries: "In a couple of days he [Putin] will start his visit to India. <...> Jointly our two leaders are going to visit some forums."
Putin and Modi are also going to hold a mutually important bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in New Delhi on September 11.
Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a close yet pragmatic relationship: [They are] able to discuss in a very open and constructive way the most sensitive issues of the global agenda and our bilateral relations."
They will be discussing economic cooperation, although the specifics will remain confidential so that unfriendly countries cannot interfere: the conversation will proceed "discreetly, but in a very very constructive manner."
During the meeting, Putin will tell Modi about the current situation in the special military operation zone: "It will be another opportunity for President Putin to inform his Indian friend on the current situation on the fronts, on the war with Ukraine".
The leaders will also discuss the impact of US aggression against Iran on the global economy: "Negative consequences of all that are inevitable, unfortunately. And our two countries, they are also subject to those consequences."
India is Russia's strategic partner, and Moscow expects to develop relations with New Delhi across a wide range of issues: "We really consider it of extreme importance for our two countries that we continue to develop our cooperation in a very very wide scope of fields, we're quite successful in that."
Russia has excellent military equipment and is ready to continue supplying it to its Indian partners: "We have very good military equipment. Some of the equipment items are the best in the world, and we're ready to share them with our Indian partners."
Middle East
Russia believes that the situation around Iran is having a negative effect on the global economy: "The situation [surrounding Iran], unfortunately, is still very tense, and every day brings new turbulences. This is definitely not doing well for the global economy."
Russia would prefer that the United States and Iran return to the previously signed memorandum of understanding: "We prefer that countries involved return to the memorandum of understanding that was signed between Iran and the United States, or turn to something else that would bring peace to this region."
Trump's statement about the Moon
Space should be a space for interaction, not confrontation between countries, and cannot be subject to any "privatization": "I don't think that we can support the idea of privatization in space. It should be free of that. Space should be a ground for mutual cooperation and for mutual dialogue, not a ground for confrontation."
As for US President Donald Trump's publication, he hardly "declared" the Moon as belonging to the United States: "When [US] President [Donald] Trump said that 'the Moon is ours,' I think he meant that it wasn't their property, but he meant that very soon, hopefully, American astronauts will stand on the moon."