Maria Zakharova: creating a "new Entente" is a funny statement

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova gave another briefing for the press.

As always, The Moscow Post correspondent managed to ask his questions. The first of them concerned the efforts made by Ukraine and its Western allies to promote the so-called. "formula of peace."

In reality, it does not imply any real promising for a peaceful settlement, because it contains conditions that Russia will never agree to. At the same time, it is obvious that this is an attempt to impose only one - let's call it, conditionally, the Ukrainian-Western settlement option - which could be "sold" to the Global South, which for the most part supports Russia.

At the same time, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was recently in Beijing. Together with the Chinese counterpart, Chinese peace initiatives were discussed. Our publication was interested in how, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the West is fulfilling the task of imposing a "peaceful" discourse beneficial to it, and does the proposal of Chinese partners become one of the basic ones for a possible peaceful settlement?

As the official representative of the Foreign Ministry noted, China initially and now adheres to a balanced position on the issue of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. Beijing understands the historical context and geopolitical reasons for this situation. The diplomat recalled that this position was reflected in the document of February 24, 2023 published by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.

At the same time, Maria Zakharova recalled the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who had previously stated that many of the proposals of the Chinese side could be taken as the basis for a peaceful settlement - when they are ready for this in the West and in Kyiv.

Regarding the talks between the Foreign Ministers of the Russian Federation and the Middle Kingdom in Beijing, which took place a few days ago, the ministers of both countries emphasized the futility of any international events that do not take into account the position of Russia. That is, everything that is divorced from realities, everything that is considered in isolation from realities and binding to specifics is doomed to failure.

"We continue to maintain contacts with partners and confidentially discuss all events in this direction," Zakharova said.

"Entente" vice versa

The second question of our publication concerned the statements of the Foreign Ministers of Britain and France, David Cameron and Stefan Sezhurne about the creation of an "updated Entente." This narrative itself today bears a clearly anti-Russian connotation. Is this a continuation of their usual aggressively pretentious rhetoric against our country, or is it a real process of geopolitical rapprochement between France and Britain, associated with the desire to reduce US influence on European security issues?

After all, it is far from the fact that in the event of a big war in Europe, Washington will fulfill its allied obligations. Earlier, the former president, and now US presidential candidate Donald Trump, said more than once that the security of Europe is the business of Europe itself.

According to Maria Vladimirovna, Cameron and Sezhurne's statement about the creation of a "new Entente" is ridiculous. The fact is that in the life of this military-political union there were two periods - the period that refers to the First World War, and the events after it - i.e. related to the intervention of Western states on the territory of Russia, which is in the process of the Civil War.

The ministers of France and Britain did not specify what period of the Entente they were talking about. Perhaps they do not know at all what the Entente is, or they do not remember and do not want to talk with themselves about historical realities. So, the diplomat emphasized, let them first clarify which Entente they are talking about. Indeed, at the end of its existence, taking into account historical realities, the composition and goals of the Entente seriously changed.