On February 27, 2024, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova commented on the G7 Leaders' statement, released on February 24, after meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.[1] In her reaction to the G7 statement, Zakharova said: "The era of alliances such as the G7 is gone forever. Its members need to acknowledge their mistakes, disavow their statements that are steeped in Russophobia, abandon their anti-Russia policies, and accept the objective reality of an emerging multipolar world without hegemony and neo-colonial diktat."
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
Below is Zakharova's remarks:[2]
The G7 Document Is "Shot Through With Russophobia And Full Of Slander"
"The so-called Group of Seven countries, united in their hostility to the Russian Federation, issued yet another politicized and biased communiqué, deliberately timed to coincide with the second anniversary of the start of Russia's special military operation. The document is shot through with Russophobia and full of slander. In fact, this statement is merely the latest example of the Western policy of attacking our country, and confirms the group's irreversible degeneration into another tool of the current US administration's hegemonic aspirations. We firmly reject every unjustified and unlawful demand on Russia contained in the text. There is no point in responding to every passage, but I will focus on a few substantive points.
"1. The G7 countries again had the audacity to accuse Russia of 'illegal, unjustified, and unprovoked full-scale aggression' against Ukraine, which is also a 'flagrant violation' of the UN Charter. In this regard, we have to repeat that the United States and its vassals still have to explain to the international community the legal foundations for the wars of aggression they have unleashed against Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and dozens of other countries, as well as for the unjustified armed aggression against Yemen that the Anglo-Saxons are carrying out right now.
"Once again, we highlight the undeniable fact that Russia has not violated any international laws, and that its actions are part of exercising the right to individual and collective self-defense under the UN Charter, something we have repeatedly emphasized. Russia is not an aggressor state, as the West is trying to present the case. Every step taken by our country is aimed at giving a proportionate response to years of geopolitical aggression against its vital security interests.
"The G7 certainly finds it convenient to present the case as if the current Ukraine crisis broke out in 2022. We have repeatedly stated that its origins go back at least as far as 2004, when the United States and the EU orchestrated the first coup in Ukraine by forcing an unconstitutional third round in the presidential elections in order to bring their protégé to power. In 2014, a new and brutal armed coup brought radical nationalist forces to power in Kiev with the active support of the Americans and Europeans. They proceeded to unleash a campaign of terror against ethnic Russians and the Russian-speaking population of Crimea and southeastern Ukraine."
"The West Has Been Waging Its Economic War Since At Least 2014"
"Russia did not start this war, but it is seeking to end it; and it is taking decisive action to that end, including the special military operation, because it has no other choice. If the United States and its satellites seek to facilitate a settlement not in words but in deeds, they should stop promoting the unacceptable Zelensky peace formula, cease any support for the neo-Nazi regime in Kiev and meet Russia's legitimate demands related to ensuring its security interests on the European continent.
"2. The last paragraph of the statement saying that Ukraine's 'government and its people can count on the G7's support for as long as it takes' is baffling. We suggest that the West's protégés in Kiev do not relax. No one vowed to support them. Instead, all they did was encourage Kiev to count on it.
"As we know from recent history, assistance from the United States and other 'democratizers' like them can dry up at any moment. How could it be otherwise, considering that the Biden regime's time is almost up, and the positions of people like Scholz, Macron, Sunak, Meloni, and Trudeau are somewhat precarious? Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is unlikely to continue to 'fence' for Ukraine once he's left without his overseas masters. Former Washington puppets in Afghanistan can attest to the level of 'reliability' of their Western patrons. The Americans abandoned them and fled the country in disgrace. They will flee again. It's just a matter of time.
"3. The G7 is threatening Russia with more sanctions, which is not surprising. The West has been waging its economic war since at least 2014 when Crimea returned to its native harbor. This time, they are threatening to cause harm not only to Russia but also to our partners, which are sovereign countries conducting typical and legitimate trade with our country.
"The entire world watched them toss the principles of market economy out, including the presumption of innocence of economic agents. Now, the G7 can't wait to take the seized assets owned by Russia and transfer the funds to the Kiev regime, which would set a dangerous precedent and raise a red flag for everyone who is still doing business with the West.
"Responsibility for the rupture of trade, economic, cultural, and people-to-people contacts with Russia lies with the current Western leaders. Any unfriendly steps will be met with a commensurate response based on the principle of reciprocity."
"G7 Countries Cannot Expect Any Reciprocity From Russia"
"4. The demand to 'fully clarify the circumstances surrounding Alexey Navalny's death' is unacceptable. We take this as a crude attempt to meddle in Russia's domestic affairs.
"Let them first respond to our requests regarding Navalny's test results in Germany. For many months, we have not been able to clear up the Skripal poisoning case, or the bombing of the Nord Stream pipelines. What is really happening in the United States and Europe in the field of human rights? What is happening with democratic procedures during the current election campaign in the United States?
"The G7 countries cannot expect any reciprocity from Russia until they provide convincing answers to these questions.
"5. A quick glance at this statement is enough to spot the G7's long-running and deep-seated anti-Russia sentiment. Primarily through the efforts of the Anglo-Saxons, the G7 has become a headquarters for the West's battle against Russia and other independent countries aspiring to expand legitimate relations with each other. Washington and London are effectively leveraging officials from Berlin, Tokyo, Paris, and Rome as useful idiots to secure support for their anti-Russia policy.
"It's high time for the right-minded people in continental Europe and Japan, if any are left, to wake up from their lethargic slumber and realize what their current rulers who had sworn allegiance to the Anglo-Saxons are dragging them into. The time is ripe to re-think the goals of G7 membership, since what this association is doing clearly undermines the strategic interests of continental Europe and Japan.
"The era of alliances such as the G7 is gone forever. Its members need to acknowledge their mistakes, disavow their statements that are steeped in Russophobia, abandon their anti-Russia policies, and accept the objective reality of an emerging multipolar world without hegemony and neo-colonial diktat."
