Russian foreign minister comments on denying Zelensky 'respite,' settlement in Middle East

MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. Vladimir Zelensky has not "earned" a respite in hostilities, and Russia will not be taken in by his promises, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference following talks with Lebanese Foreign Minister and Minister of Emigrants Youssef Rajji.

He also noted that Russia welcomes the launch of direct dialogue between Israel and Lebanon mediated by the United States.

TASS has compiled the foreign minister’s key statements.

Denying 'respite' to Kiev

Vladimir Zelensky has not earned a break in fighting: "I do not think he has earned a respite."

Russia will not be taken in by his promises: "I do not think we will ever again be had by assurances and promises. President [of Russia Vladimir Putin] has made this very clear. We continue to achieve the objectives of the special military operation. They are well known to everyone. We have never changed them, unlike Zelensky and his European masters, who keep zigzagging and changing course. Therefore, we have nothing to justify ourselves for to anyone."

Middle East

Russia believes that the Israeli army is violating international law and fueling tensions in Lebanon: "In light of Israel’s ongoing actions in Lebanon, we reaffirmed the Russian Federation’s principled position in support of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Lebanese Republic. And, of course, we stand by our assessment that the use of force by the IDF, the Israeli army, grossly violates international law and fuels further tensions and escalation in Lebanon."

Russia welcomes the launch of US-mediated direct dialogue between Israel and Lebanon: "We welcomed the launch of direct dialogue between Israel and Lebanon mediated by the United States. We stressed the need for an immediate ceasefire, as civilians are suffering, and the need to steer the conflict toward a political and diplomatic settlement, including to ensure the comprehensive implementation of the long-standing United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which sets out all the necessary obligations of the parties. Had this resolution been implemented, the problems Lebanon and Israel are facing today would have been resolved long ago."

"Russia actively supports Lebanon and the Lebanese side in discussions at the United Nations Security Council. The next opportunity will come before the end of this year, when the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon is due to be discussed. These forces have played a very important role in preventing escalation from becoming completely destabilizing, because they are unable to prevent escalation altogether; they simply lack the physical capacity to do so."

Russia sees opportunities to advance an agenda for resolving all problems in the Middle East: "We very much hope that, both in our contacts with the Lebanese and in our contacts with the Israelis, which we maintain, we will be able to make progress. We have always said that we are interested in ensuring Israel’s security in the context of a full settlement of its relations with its Arab neighbors and a comprehensive resolution of all problems in the Middle East on the basis of United Nations Security Council resolutions, which, of course, also implies the creation of a Palestinian state. We see opportunities to advance such an agenda. However, this requires our Israeli colleagues to share the understanding that a solution acceptable to all is necessary, and we are persistently urging them to do so."

Relations with Lebanon

Russia appreciates Lebanon’s understanding of the root causes of the conflict in Ukraine: "We appreciate the understanding that the Lebanese side consistently demonstrates regarding Russia’s actions and the root causes of this conflict."

During the talks, Russia and Lebanon reaffirmed their "mutual commitment to further expanding political dialogue and strengthening partnership ties in various fields."

Moscow hopes Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji will attend the seventh session of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum: "We hope my Lebanese counterpart will take part in the upcoming seventh session of the Russian-Arab Cooperation Forum at the level of foreign ministers, which is scheduled to be held in Moscow before the end of the year."

Russia and Lebanon have agreed to resume the work of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation as soon as possible: "To this end, we agreed to resume the work of the intergovernmental commission on trade, economic, scientific and technical cooperation, which has not met since 2018, as soon as possible."