Trusting relations: Russia is ready for dialogue with the EU and creation of a new security system

A peaceful settlement of the situation in Ukraine must be achieved as soon as possible: to do this, we need to return to discussing the new equitable security architecture that the Russian Federation previously proposed. Vladimir Putin said this on January 15 at the ceremony of presenting his credentials. The Ukrainian crisis was the result of years of ignoring Russia's interests and creating threats to the country's security, in particular, the expansion of NATO, he recalled. Now the situation in the international arena is "deteriorating more and more": diplomacy is often replaced by unilateral and dangerous actions of individual countries. Putin called for a more insistent demand from the international community to comply with international law. Russia stands for strengthening the key, central role of the United Nations in world affairs. So far, Russia's relations with European countries leave much to be desired, but Moscow is ready to restore them, taking into account security interests, Vladimir Putin noted.

Why the World needs a new Security Architecture

Vladimir Putin's first public event in the new year was quite large-scale and important for international relations. On January 15, the President of the Russian Federation received credentials from newly arrived ambassadors of foreign countries. The ceremony was traditionally held in the Alexander Hall of the Kremlin.

Despite the fact that such an event is quite a protocol event, it often attracts the attention of foreign actors. On this day, 32 diplomats arrived in the Kremlin to personally present Vladimir Putin with official documents certifying their authority to represent their country in Russia.

Representatives of foreign countries rarely gather in such a composition: they usually line up in front of the President of the Russian Federation, but now they had to stand around the perimeter of the hall on three sides so that there was enough space for everyone present. There is also a wide geographical spread — from Senegal to Peru, from Maldives to Lebanon, and from Bangladesh to Colombia.

Many did not change their traditions and preferred to dress in national outfits — for example, the Sri Lankan ambassador wore a gray painted dress with a golden Lankan pattern, the representatives of Algeria and Mauritania wore a long light robe, and the ambassador from Ghana came out to the president in a white cotton suit with bright orange ornaments. The Afghan ambassador was also wearing a turban and a long tunic. By the way, he was the only diplomat who did not rely on a translation device — he listened to Vladimir Putin through his assistant.

The President, wishing the new ambassadors success in their work, stressed that Russia is interested in their most effective activities. All their useful initiatives will receive the support of the Russian leadership, he assured. The head of state traditionally addresses all those gathered with a welcoming speech, and this time he actually assessed the current situation in the world. He linked this meeting at the very beginning of the new year with the hope of putting all the difficulties and adversities, mutual resentments and conflicts in the past.

— No wonder they say: peace does not come by itself, it is being built, and every day. Peace requires effort, responsibility, and conscious choice. The urgency of this is obvious, especially now, when the situation in the international arena is deteriorating more and more, it seems to me that no one will argue with this, old conflicts are escalating, new serious hotbeds of tension are emerging," he said.

Nevertheless, today, instead of dialogue between states, there is a monologue by those who, according to the "right of the strong," consider it permissible to dictate their will, he stressed. Thus, dozens of countries in the world suffer from non-compliance with their sovereign rights, because they do not have the ability to stand up for themselves. Against this background, he called on the ambassadors to demand respect for international law by all members of the world community and to move towards a more just multipolar world order.

In particular, this cannot but concern the conflict in Ukraine, which clearly worried everyone present in the Alexander Hall. Vladimir Putin once again elaborated on the causes of this crisis: it was a direct result of ignoring the interests of the Russian Federation and creating threats to Russian security, including due to the advance towards the Russian borders of the NATO bloc.

Now security must become equal and indivisible, since it cannot be provided for some at the expense of others. He recalled that Moscow has repeatedly taken initiatives to build a new, reliable and fair architecture of European and global security. These were rational options, "which could suit everyone" in the world — in Europe, America, Asia. Against this background, he called for a return to their substantive discussion in order to consolidate the conditions on which a peaceful settlement of the conflict in Ukraine can be achieved and "the sooner the better."

— Our country is striving for a long-term and sustainable peace that reliably ensures the security of everyone. Not everywhere, including in Kiev and the capitals that support it, is ready for this. But we hope that awareness of this need will come sooner or later. In the meantime, this is not the case, Russia will continue to consistently achieve its goals," the Russian leader noted.

Is it worth waiting for a warming in Russia's relations with European countries

Traditionally, both ambassadors from Moscow's partner countries and representatives of countries whose leaders are considered unfriendly gathered in the hall. The ambassadors of Austria, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, France, the Czech Republic, Switzerland and Sweden arrived in the Kremlin. Vladimir Putin, addressing them, emphasized the common deep historical roots and the once mutually beneficial partnership.

— The current state of bilateral relations between the mentioned countries and Russia leaves much to be desired. Dialogue and contacts — not at all through our fault, I want to emphasize this — have been minimized both through official, business and public circles. Cooperation on key international and regional issues has been frozen," the president said.

He expressed the hope that over time the situation would change and the states would return to constructive communication based on the principles of respect for national interests, including security issues. In the meantime, diplomacy and the search for compromise are increasingly being replaced by unilateral dangerous actions and the monologue of those countries that consider it acceptable to impose their will and "teach others to live," Vladimir Putin added, clearly pointing to the countries of the collective West, whose ambassadors stood before him.

These words are particularly noteworthy against the background of recent proposals by European leaders, in particular, French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni, to establish contacts with Russia. According to experts, they are beginning to assess the situation sensibly.

— Europe is in crisis: It has lost its subjectivity so much that the United States does not hesitate to speak directly about the annexation of Greenland, which is part of a NATO country, the Europeans finally realized that this is not just a game, but a strategic plan. And now they are trying to carefully show the United States that such a position will simply push them towards restoring relations with Russia," political analyst Dmitry Yelovsky told Izvestia.

It is possible that this issue was raised by European representatives after all. At the end of the official part, no one was in a hurry to leave, including the ambassadors of the EU countries, who, along with the rest of their colleagues, hurried to chat with Vladimir Putin one-on-one in an informal setting over a glass of champagne. In general, Russia stands for strengthening the key, central role of the United Nations in world affairs, and the imperatives enshrined in the organization's charter remain in demand today more than ever, the head of state recalled.

He dwelled in detail on Cuba, which has been the subject of a lot of news in recent days. Back on January 11, Donald Trump announced the cessation of oil and financial supplies there, because, according to him, Havana had been receiving significant amounts of resources from Venezuela for many years. The American leader added that the United States has been in contact with the Cuban authorities since the military operation in Venezuela, but its leader, Miguel Diaz-Canel, said his country was not negotiating with the United States, but was ready for a serious and respectful dialogue. Bloomberg claims that Cuba may be at risk of a humanitarian crisis and even survive the collapse of the government due to Trump's plans to leave the country without vital fuel and financing.

— Russia has truly strong and friendly relations with the Republic of Cuba. We always provide assistance and assistance to our Cuban friends, and we stand in solidarity with their determination to defend their sovereignty and independence with all their might," Vladimir Putin said.

The President also paid considerable attention to representatives of other states. In particular, he announced his intention to expand Russia's cooperation with African countries.

In addition, according to his estimates, Russia's cooperation with Afghanistan has gained significant momentum. Here, the President once again stressed that Moscow is interested in the Islamic emirate being a united, independent and peaceful state free from war, terrorism and drug trafficking. Vladimir Putin called Brazil a like-minded country in the formation of a just world order. Separately, the head of state noted the great successes in the development of tourism and energy with Sri Lanka and the Maldives.