Up next in 10
Russia’s Foreign Minister addresses a wide-ranging set of geopolitical issues in a revealing interview covering Japan, the European Union, Russian merchant shipping, Ukraine, Turkey, Serbia, the United States and possible future negotiations.
Key moments:
00:00 Japan and Russia
01:36 EU “shadow fleet” inspections
02:55 Moscow’s warning of a “mirror” response
04:48 Germany and Europe’s military posture
06:26 Serbia and EU pressure
08:19 Bulgaria and European politics
09:18 Witkoff, Kushner and Trump
10:12 US mediation and negotiations
11:43 Turkey as a potential mediator
12:49 Black Sea and Turkish shipping
17:37 Russia’s stated war aims
One of the most significant moments comes during the discussion of the EU’s efforts to inspect vessels described by Brussels as part of Russia’s “shadow fleet.” The interview presents Moscow’s view that such measures could represent a dangerous escalation and discusses the possibility of a reciprocal response.
The conversation then moves to Europe’s broader military and political posture, including Germany, Serbia, Bulgaria and the pressure surrounding European integration and alignment with sanctions against Russia.
The discussion also turns to Washington and the possibility of renewed diplomacy involving Donald Trump, US representatives and Russia. The role of Turkey as a potential intermediary is examined alongside Ankara’s NATO membership, its economic relationship with Moscow and the security of Black Sea shipping.
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0:00
In the military doctrine of Japan,
0:02
Russia is called the main threat.
0:05
How can we comment on this and was such
0:07
a person as Abe possible?
0:09
>> This is Abe was an absolutely correct
0:11
politician who understood that national
0:13
interests cannot be ensured without
0:16
interaction with the Russian Federation.
0:19
Those who replaced him believe that
0:21
these interests need to be ensured
0:24
together with the United States.
0:30
By starting the militarization of Japan
0:33
at ASEAN events with partners in the
0:35
Philippines,
0:37
the Japanese minister after these events
0:40
made a statement that we discussed
0:42
bilateral affairs with Lavrov, the
0:45
regional situation. I was amazed because
0:48
this happened during a solemn banquet
0:51
when there was a long table where all
0:53
the ministers were
0:59
seated and suddenly behind me someone
1:02
touches my shoulder. I turn around. Our
1:05
Japanese colleague stands and says how
1:07
glad I am to see how good. I didn't even
1:10
have time to get up. I shook his hand
1:12
and he went to his seat. And this is
1:15
what it means. They discussed bilateral
1:17
regional issues. There was recently
1:20
information that some Japanese
1:22
delegation of businessmen arrived and
1:25
they directly told us
1:30
strong instructions from the country's
1:32
leadership, no projects to discuss with
1:35
you.
1:36
>> Sergey Viktorovich, the European Union
1:38
announced the inspection of Russian
1:40
merchant ships and called them the
1:42
shadow fleet. What does it mean and what
1:45
is really behind these checks?
1:47
>> The European Union invented this concept
1:50
a long time ago. It does not appear in
1:53
any document. The European Union decided
1:57
apply their own right, if you can call
2:00
Brussels illegal decision a right,
2:03
that it is necessary to limit Russia's
2:06
ability to earn money on world markets.
2:09
They included a ban, in fact, on trade
2:12
in energy resources of the Russian
2:14
Federation.
2:17
Ships defying EU directives, regardless
2:20
of their flags, have been labeled part
2:23
of the shadow fleet.
2:26
This is a very dangerous path because
2:29
they declared that their decisions are
2:31
above international law. They were
2:33
allowed not just to stop and inspect
2:35
ships, but to take the cargo and sell it
2:38
in order to receive some revenue and
2:41
transfer this revenue to Ukraine so that
2:44
she continues to strengthen her Nazi
2:46
regime. Putin is very clear.
2:55
He calmly said that we will respond to
2:57
this robbery and piracy in a mirror way.
3:01
We will choose the targets ourselves.
3:04
The targets will be ships that work in
3:07
the interests of countries that have
3:09
declared their official policy of
3:11
robbery and piracy.
3:14
>> Viktorovich, how can victory be expected
3:16
against deceitful counterparts when our
3:18
values have historically been so
3:20
distinct?
3:21
Before the march, they said, "I'm coming
3:23
for you."
3:24
To completely different values, far
3:26
removed from these terrorist acts.
3:28
>> Moreover, after each such terrorist act,
3:32
representatives of the regime proudly
3:34
boast on social networks and other
3:36
resources how great they struck the
3:39
beach, the dormitory where the girls
3:41
studied with a teacher, and other purely
3:44
civilian objects.
3:48
>> What strategies do we adopt to confront
3:50
such adversaries effectively?
3:52
We won't stoop to their methods, will
3:54
we?
3:54
>> We will not go down, but we will make
3:57
our own methods much tougher to destroy
3:59
everything that feeds Kiev's war machine
4:02
from the West.
4:07
And we're already doing it, and they're
4:08
already starting to moan.
4:11
It's no coincidence that increasing
4:13
voices across our shared space are
4:16
calling for immediate action.
4:19
Calls for an immediate stop. It will not
4:22
be possible to stop. It is necessary
4:23
[clears throat]
4:24
to stop when there is a long-term,
4:27
reliable, sustainable regulation. If we
4:30
now suddenly stop at the line of
4:32
contact, we would in fact allow us to
4:35
cross out the feat of our grandfathers
4:37
and great-grandfathers who defeated
4:40
Nazism. This cannot be considered
4:48
And it is not only about how someone
4:50
lives comfortably today. Our people are
4:53
suffering. I say people are dying from
4:56
these terrorist acts.
4:59
But we are talking about our
5:01
responsibility for the thousand-year
5:03
history of the Russian state.
5:07
>> A German journalist told Zelenskyy quite
5:09
frankly at the press conference of
5:11
Vucic-Zelenskyy,
5:13
"How can Germans assist Ukrainians in
5:15
harming Russians? Where has Western
5:17
diplomacy gone astray?"
5:20
>> Of course, this person is not worthy to
5:23
occupy any position in the media
5:25
structures, let alone any official
5:28
positions in the government apparatus.
5:32
Metastases of Nazism continue to work
5:35
their way up in German society.
5:41
Under the leadership of Merz, who openly
5:44
declares the need to once again make
5:47
Germany the main military force in
5:50
Europe. Does he understand what the word
5:52
again means in this case? By the way,
5:55
when this question was raised at the
5:58
press conference between Zelensky and
6:00
Vucic,
6:10
well, I saw that President Vucic was
6:12
simply taken aback, but of course we
6:15
would like to hear some kind of reaction
6:17
from our Serbian friends given their
6:19
huge contribution to the victory over
6:22
Nazism.
6:26
>> Vucic signed a document supporting
6:28
Ukraine while remembering the bombing of
6:29
Yugoslavia in the people's memory. It
6:32
turns out that Serbia is siding with the
6:33
West.
6:35
How can we comment on this?
6:37
>> It is not easy for Alexander Vucic. He
6:39
is a very experienced politician and he
6:42
is committed to the course of European
6:45
integration.
6:46
At this stage, the European Union is
6:49
mocking him and simply blackmailing him.
6:51
Yes, you have been standing in line
6:53
there for a long time, but
7:01
we will speed up negotiations when you
7:03
meet two basic requirements. First,
7:06
recognize the independence of Kosovo and
7:09
second, join all our actions and
7:11
decisions against Russia. He has bravely
7:14
withstood this pressure for many years.
7:17
In Serbia, we sell gas at very
7:20
preferential prices and never demand
7:23
anything from Serbia.
7:29
Well, in addition to the fact that it
7:32
would be unacceptable if our Serbian
7:34
brothers participated in arming the Kiev
7:37
regime and President Vucic made a
7:40
special decision prohibiting such
7:42
actions. About agreeing to Zelensky's
7:45
annoying requests to be accepted, this
7:49
probably reflected Alexander Vucic's
7:52
intention.
7:58
Reduce the pressure of the European
7:59
Union a little. The pressure is
8:01
shameless, bullish.
8:04
Their actions resemble establishing a
8:07
new Reich.
8:10
>> But the head of Bulgaria, on the
8:11
contrary, wants to leave the coalition
8:13
of the willing and says that everything
8:14
needs to be resolved peacefully. Well,
8:16
not peacefully, but diplomatically.
8:18
Do you think the EU will be able to push
8:21
it through anyway?
8:23
>> Rumen Radev, whom I know well, had a
8:25
distinct path.
8:28
There are many examples of elections
8:30
under the slogan of national interests
8:33
and not subordination to the EU
8:35
bureaucracy. When people with similar
8:38
intentions still came to power and
8:40
behaved differently, someone will be
8:42
able to stand up to their fundamental
8:44
beliefs with which he went to the
8:46
elections and someone
8:55
will be susceptible to pressure. Let
8:57
them sort themselves out there among
8:59
themselves.
9:00
>> About Witkoff and Kushner, who can never
9:02
reach us again, you communicated with
9:05
both of them personally. And according
9:07
to your feelings as an experienced
9:09
diplomat, can any of them influence
9:11
Trump in any way?
9:12
>> I believe that if their trust is so
9:14
evident, then they must rely on each
9:15
other greatly.
9:18
Their influence over the president is
9:20
clear due to his trust in them. We
9:23
remain open to discussions. If they
9:26
visit, they are aware that President
9:28
Putin is always ready to meet them
9:30
again.
9:33
Another thing is, what will they come
9:34
with?
9:36
When Witkoff visited over a year ago,
9:39
likely around August 5th or 6th, he
9:42
presented a proposal on behalf of Donald
9:44
Trump.
9:47
The president took them to work, and
9:49
when he arrived in Alaska, he said,
9:51
"Donald, you sent us a proposal. I
9:54
thought there were things that required
9:56
compromise, but I accepted your proposal
9:59
in the form in which you sent it to me."
10:01
And then there was a pause.
10:12
Then sanctions against Lukoil and
10:15
Rosneft in parallel, the leaders of the
10:17
European Union and NATO rushed to
10:20
Washington together with Zelenskyy, hung
10:22
in the arms of the president of the
10:24
United States to dissuade him from any
10:27
further initiatives. Then subsequently,
10:30
Mark Rubio said, answering a
10:32
journalist's question, "How to be
10:34
sanctioned?"
10:38
We initially believed we couldn't
10:40
mediate due to our support for Ukraine.
10:44
Yet a few weeks later, the narrative
10:46
shifted. Ultimately, it's only President
10:49
Trump who seems capable of bringing
10:52
Ukraine and Russia to the table to
10:54
negotiate a resolution. They appear
10:56
supportive of Ukraine with arms and
10:59
intelligence.
11:03
>> That is why the Ukrainians so accurately
11:05
hit our MPZ. Small businesses suffer,
11:07
ordinary people suffer. Why can't we,
11:10
before sitting down with them at the
11:11
negotiating table with Witkoff, with
11:13
Kushner, first give them an ultimatum
11:15
not to do this?
11:17
>> We do not issue ultimatums.
11:19
We referred a number of questions to the
11:21
State Department for comment, including
11:24
intelligence, including that the United
11:27
States is much more deeply involved.
11:33
Including the organization and
11:35
implementation of strikes deep into the
11:38
territory of the Russian Federation on
11:40
civilian objects, we will wait for a
11:43
response.
11:44
>> Hakan Fidan came to Russia in Kazan and
11:47
met with you and Vladimir Putin. And of
11:49
course, we were talking about you also
11:51
confirming to us that perhaps Turkey
11:52
will again be a mediator in the
11:54
negotiations. But at the same time,
11:56
Erdogan at the NATO summit signs a
11:58
document on the restoration of the
12:00
territorial integrity of the Kiev
12:02
regime.
12:03
In general, we can and should count on
12:05
such intermediaries.
12:08
>> But Turkey, yes, it also wants to be a
12:11
member of NATO, NATO's largest army. It
12:14
wants to have relations with the
12:16
European Union. Although deep down it
12:19
understands that it will never be
12:21
accepted into the EU. It wants to have
12:24
good relations with Russia because we
12:27
have many economic projects. We have
12:29
many
12:33
common in our history, the Caucasus, the
12:36
Black Sea. And Turkey is sincerely
12:38
interested in ensuring that the Black
12:40
Sea is stable. Now, Turkish colleagues
12:43
are again saying that it is necessary to
12:46
somehow agree so that shipping is not
12:49
the subject of attacks, but we didn't
12:51
start it. And when on a Turkish dry
12:54
cargo ship or tanker
13:01
a Turkish civilian ship was hit by a
13:04
drone of the Ukrainian armed forces when
13:07
these same drones attacked the
13:09
infrastructure of the Caspian Pipeline
13:12
Consortium more than once already in the
13:15
Caspian Sea, directly hitting ships
13:17
related to the American companies
13:20
Chevron Texaco Mobile
13:29
And in response to this, neither Turkey
13:31
nor the United States publicly declared
13:34
that they do not accept these actions of
13:36
Ukrainian terrorists. They just when we
13:39
asked, "How can you come to terms with
13:41
this?" No, but we are sending them a
13:43
signal there like through the Caspian
13:46
Pipeline Consortium. JD Vance, vice
13:50
president, sent some kind of signal to
13:53
Zelenskyy.
13:59
Turkish officials have quietly advised
14:02
them not to provoke, but publicly
14:04
silence persists.
14:08
This is also indicative. What is
14:10
characteristic is that in response to
14:12
these warnings, the Zelenskyy regime, as
14:16
far as I can judge from the information
14:18
that appeared, did not promise to stop
14:20
the attacks.
14:26
Courts that have nothing to do with the
14:28
Russian Federation, and apparently this
14:31
explanation was considered acceptable,
14:34
but with Turkey we have a big agenda. I
14:37
think that these are the trails that
14:39
remain.
14:47
In connection with NATO membership, in
14:50
connection with some relations with the
14:53
European Union, but they are inevitable.
14:56
>> Sergey Viktorovich, more informal
14:58
questions, if possible. What quality do
15:01
you think made you who you are?
15:03
>> I've never done advertising myself at
15:06
all, but you know,
15:07
I've probably always been very
15:09
responsible about what I did.
15:14
Well, so as not to let down those who
15:16
offered me and who appointed me to the
15:19
appropriate position in Sri Lanka, and
15:22
in the central apparatus and in New York
15:24
and again here in Moscow.
15:27
>> And what quality prevents you from being
15:29
a diplomat sometimes?
15:32
>> Nothing bothers me to be honest.
15:35
Because a diplomat should be with a
15:37
sense of humor, cheerful once he has
15:40
done his job well and it has been
15:43
accepted.
15:45
>> According to diplomat William Burns, he
15:47
wrote about this in his book, "You can't
15:49
be embarrassed." Do you agree with that
15:51
statement?
15:54
>> It might be perplexing, but it's hardly
15:56
noticeable.
15:58
>> You were very attached to your
15:59
grandparents.
16:01
Which relative or perhaps someone else
16:03
do you believe shaped your character the
16:05
most?
16:07
>> Well, I was probably influenced by my
16:09
mother, grandfather, and grandmother.
16:12
First of all, because they uh
16:19
They not only encouraged, but actively
16:21
promoted my freedom in interacting with
16:24
peers. After school, I'd finish my
16:27
homework, engage in street and yard
16:30
activities, children's disputes, and
16:33
occasional clashes when someone said
16:35
something offensive.
16:43
>> They mutually accepted and convinced one
16:44
another on certain matters.
16:47
>> And here, by the way, the principle of
16:49
slap hands agreed was very strong.
16:55
I deeply appreciate that they didn't
16:57
confine me to home or restrict me in
17:00
unnecessary ways.
17:05
>> But only after school, right?
17:07
>> After school? Well, of course not.
17:09
Well, I skipped sometimes, but who
17:11
didn't skip?
17:14
It was different, me and
17:16
>> What classes did you skip? What items
17:17
were missed?
17:18
>> I don't remember anymore.
17:20
I don't remember.
17:23
However, at one point I actually
17:24
received a B grade in behavior.
17:26
>> Today is a difficult time for the
17:28
country and it is important for people
17:30
to hear strong statements including
17:32
yours.
17:33
So tell me, what would you prefer to
17:34
express today?
17:37
>> We often hear strongly worded statements
17:39
on a consistent basis.
17:43
The president firmly asserts that all
17:46
the aims of this special military
17:48
operation will be achieved without fail.
17:52
Additionally, I have been following
17:53
reports from the war zone closely. The
17:56
impressive soldiers emanate patriotism
17:59
and pride for their homeland. Meanwhile,
18:02
voices from those regions echo through
18:05
their accounts. After securing yet
18:07
another settlement, the adversary shall
18:10
be utterly vanquished.
18:14
Victory will be ours. Our cause is
18:15
right.
18:17
Those remarks are undeniably robust and
18:19
impactful.
18:23
Well, what can be added to this?
18:27
Sometimes I want to add, but I'm afraid
18:29
you'll pee, Ksenia.
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