Ambassador Andrei Kelin’s interview to Jomana Hachim for Al Qahera News TV, 11 August, 2023

Watch the Ambassador Andrei Kelin’s interview to Jomana Hachim for Al Qahera News TV. Main topics: - Ukraine’s stalling counteroffensive - Prospects of peace talks - Western arms supplies to Ukraine - The European security architecture - Economic situation in Russia and Ukraine - Black Sea Grain Initiative / Russian grain supplies to Africa - Yevgeny Prigozhin’s statements / Roots of the PMC Wagner’s Mutiny - Russia-Africa relations / Peace initiatives of the international community - The new geopolitical reality - Ukrainian drone attacks in Russia - Possibility of the Third World War - The prospects of the settlement in Ukraine - Evacuated Ukrainian children and Ukrainian refugees in Russia Ambassador Andrei Kelin’s key statements: ▪ Currently, Ukraine finds itself in a situation where it is essentially being sustained by the support of the European Union and the United States, primarily. Regarding the supply of weapons, the longer the influx of arms to Ukraine continues, the more protracted the conflict will be. ▪ I am confident that as soon as arms deliveries from the US and Europe to Ukraine cease, the government in Kyiv will be compelled to bring the conflict to an end. ▪ The UK, together with the US, began turning Ukraine into what’s often referred to as an “anti-Russia“ entity much earlier. This began quite some time before 2014, even before the Ukrainian Maidan Revolution took place. ▪ The UK strives to be at the forefront of organising campaigns to continue arming Ukraine. The UK’s negative role undoubtedly affects the entire conflict. ▪ Is there any disagreement in positions between the European Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States? No, as we understand it, the European Union is practically serving interests of the United States in this policy regarding Ukraine, as well as in all other directions. ▪ The Ukrainian economy has suffered significantly as a result of this anti-Russian stance in the struggle against Russians in Ukraine and the conflict with the Russian Federation on the battlefield. The current economic contraction stands at 34% of the GDP. Inflation has reached 40%, a substantial figure. Industrial decline is around 34%. Agriculture has seen a drop of about 30-35%. ▪ What’s happening with Russia is quite the opposite. At the beginning of 2022, everyone predicted a collapse in our economy. In reality, over the course of a year, it decreased by only by 2%. We have resolutely reshaped our economy, although sanctions did have an impact, as Europe was our largest trading partner. ▪ Recently, there was a deal with Egypt in which we supplied 300,000 tons of wheat to Egypt at a price at the lower end of the market. We will continue these shipments. Last year, we supplied about 11 million tons. Many of them went to Africa. In these first six months, we’ve already supplied 10 million tons and will continue to work with countries that have a greater need for this, primarily in Africa. ▪ There’s no need to exaggerate the significance of the Wagner Group in comparison to the Russian army. Essentially, it was a commercial project of an individual that received state support in its initial stages. Indeed, the private military company made a notable contribution, for instance during the assault on the city of Artemovsk, also known as Bakhmut. ▪ Of course, we appreciate the efforts of all parties, including African states. I know that a representative from Egypt was part of the delegation of African nations in Moscow. There’s also the Chinese initiative. All of this is positive, but so far, there’s no initiative that provides a realistic way out of this crisis. ▪ We don’t know what happened in Jeddah; we don’t have that information yet. It seems they were discussing Zelensky’s initiative, which is entirely unrealistic. It involves us «leaving all of Ukraine’s territories», leaving the fate of the Russian population to chance, as Ukrainian forces would immediately move in, leading to a bloody massacre. ▪ Ukraine should become a neutral non-nuclear state, as stipulated in its Constitution. Additionally, normal conditions should be guaranteed for Russian speakers and for Russia. And, of course, the existing territorial realities must be recognised. ▪ There can be no compromise here. In Donbass, in the Kherson and Zaporozhye regions, referendums were held. The overwhelming majority of the population in these territories expressed their desire to join the Russian Federation. ▪ We have a conflict with the government that sits in Kiev and pursues an anti-Russian policy. However, we have a respectful attitude towards the people of Ukraine. As for these discussions about child abductions, they are completely false. The fact is that around 5-6 million Ukrainian refugees have moved to Russia. #Russia #UK #Egypt #AlQaheraNews #JomanaHachim #Kelin #RusEmbUK