Zakharova urged Western countries to be concerned about Ukraine's salvation

Western countries should be primarily concerned about saving Ukraine rather than defeating Russia, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has said. This was stated by Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova on December 7.

"As for the 'victory of Ukraine,' it is better for Westerners to formulate their concern for the remnants of this state with the word 'salvation,' for which it is necessary to stop supplying arms to the Kiev regime and prevent the age of mobilization of Ukrainians from falling," she wrote in her Telegram channel.

Thus Zakharova reacted to the statement of the Norwegian Foreign Minister, who called to ensure the victory of Ukraine and accused Russia of violating the principles of the Helsinki Final Act and the UN Charter. In this regard, the Foreign Ministry spokeswoman questioned the Norwegian government: "Where was the Helsinki Final Act when the US and other NATO members were bombing Yugoslavia and leading the coup d'état in Ukraine in 2014?"

"The answer options are A. Forgotten; B. Don't know; C. The same place as the UN Charter - in oblivion," the diplomat noted.

"Russia is ready to use any means to protect its interests"

Interview of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with journalist Tucker Carlson. Key quotes

Earlier, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide reacted to the speech of Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov at the meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). Lavrov said that there are no spheres in which the OSCE can be useful in its tasks. Responding to this, Eide accused Russia of disrespecting the integrity of other states and assured that "Ukraine will win." In response, Alexei Pushkov, head of the Russian Federation Council's commission on information policy, said on December 6 that the Norwegian foreign minister is among the people "pathologically unable to perceive a reality that does not suit them."

Among other things, Lavrov's position was also criticized by German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock. However, during her speech, she made a mistake, speaking about the number of the population of Europe, almost twice. Later her words were corrected by the press service of the German Foreign Ministry in social networks.

Lavrov arrived in Malta to participate in the OSCE Ministerial Council on December 5. He was scheduled to meet with the foreign ministers of several countries. At the same time, the Russian side intends to draw special attention to the non-issuance of visas to representatives of Moscow.

On the same day, it was reported that Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga defiantly left the plenary session hall of the OSCE Ministerial Council when Lavrov started his speech at the forum. According to the Ukrainian daily Strana.ua, the Ukrainian minister called his Russian counterpart a war criminal. Along with Sibiga, the foreign ministers of Poland and the Czech Republic also left the hall.

The OSCE Foreign Ministers' Council, which is the central decision-making and governing body of the organization, is taking place in Malta on 5-6 December.