Embassy of Russia to Malta Press Release
๐๐ฒ๐ ๐ง๐ฎ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐๐ ๐ณ๐ฟ๐ผ๐บ ๐ ๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐โ๐ ๐จ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฑ๐ด๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ฝ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐น๐น๐ฎ ๐ฆ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ฎ
Moscow – 13 November 2025
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation has published the full, uncensored responses given by Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera, which declined to print the interview without cuts.
Below are the core points made by Minister Lavrov.
๐น Anchorage Understandings & Peace Prospects
The Anchorage summit was a “milestone” toward a just and lasting peace in Ukraine.
Russia accepted a US-proposed concept for negotiations centered on security and territorial reality.
Moscow is fully prepared for a PutinโTrump summit in Budapest, provided it is based on the Anchorage outcomes.
Claims that Russia is “not ready for talks” are false and originate from Western media distortions.
๐น On the Special Military Operation
Russia’s goal is not territorial conquest, but the protection of millions whose identity, language and culture were suppressed by the Kiev regime.
Russia seeks to prevent NATO from turning Ukraine into a forward-operating anti-Russian bridgehead.
The Armed Forces conduct precise strikes only on military targets, avoiding civilian casualties.
๐น On Losses in the Conflict
It is not customary to publish battlefield statistics.
Russia has transferred over 9,000 bodies of Ukrainian personnel this year, while receiving 143 of its own – “draw your own conclusions.”
๐น On Wearing a USSR Sweatshirt at Anchorage
The gesture carried no political message.
Lavrov emphasized pride in Russia’s millennia-old continuity and civilization.
Patriotism, he noted, is “part of our genetic code.”
๐น On Ukraine’s Future Status
Russia insists on Ukraine’s neutral, non-aligned, non-nuclear status.
Kiev must return to its own constitutional obligations regarding the rights of Russian and other national minorities.
European silence on discrimination against “non-indigenous ethnicities” is described as “proof of resurgent Nazism in Europe.”
๐น On Western Involvement
European governments form the core of a “coalition of the willing” determined to prolong the conflict.
Their policies serve mainly to distract voters from internal crises.
Whether weapons come from the US or Europe makes no difference – all military targets are destroyed.
๐น On Prospects for Resetting Relations with Europe
The current confrontation is not Russia’s choice.
Europe has repeatedly followed destructive anti-Russian policies, often “against its own interests.”
Once the current wave of “Russophobic obsession” fades, Russia will assess whether meaningful dialogue is possible.
President Putin proposes a new Eurasian security architecture, based on equality and non-interference.
๐น On Relations with China
RussiaโChina cooperation is not a Cold War-style alliance, but a modern partnership built on equality.
Claims of Russian “dependence” on China are misplaced; ties are balanced and mutually beneficial.
๐น On Italy
Russia distinguishes between nations and governments.
Italy’s rapid alignment with policies aimed at a “strategic defeat of Russia” damaged relations.
Cultural cancellations and the breakdown of people-to-people ties are “unnatural” for Italy’s traditions.
If Rome wishes to move toward dialogue, Russia is ready to listen.
