"The fight for the truth will continue. And we will not give in to it."
The arrival of a large number of world leaders to Moscow for the celebrations shows the futility of the West's Russophobic strategy, as well as the defeat of our country's isolation policy, Federation Council Chairman Valentina Matvienko said in an interview with Izvestia. According to her, embassies and special services of many countries were working to disrupt the visit of high-level government officials to Russia. The 80th anniversary of the victory over Japanese militarism also requires a lot of global attention: large-scale events will be held in Russia, China and Mongolia on this occasion, the speaker of the upper house of parliament is sure. According to her, the system of international relations is undergoing a fundamental restructuring, but the UN Charter must remain the foundation of a multipolar world. About the significance of the anniversary of the Great Victory, the fight against attempts to rehabilitate Nazism and preserve historical memory — in an exclusive interview with Valentina Matvienko "Izvestia".
"Threats definitely do not affect the decision of foreign guests who plan to visit Moscow"
— Valentina Ivanovna, the world is celebrating the anniversary of the Great Victory in a difficult environment. The West has directed its entire arsenal against Russia — economically, militarily, and politically, and has deployed the most powerful anti-Russian propaganda in order to isolate our country and undermine its influence in the international arena. Despite this, the leaders of dozens of states announced their intention to attend the Victory Day celebrations in Moscow on May 9. What does this mean, in your opinion?
— First of all, I want to congratulate all your readers, all Russians, on the upcoming great holiday — Victory Day.
Now to the point of the question. In my opinion, the arrival of distinguished guests at the parade in Moscow shows, first of all, that despite the total, coercive policy of rewriting the history of the 20th century by the West to suit its current aggressive tasks, its current plans, a huge part of the world's population, firstly, remains on the side of the truth, which was clearly recorded by Nuremberg. And secondly, it unequivocally recognizes the decisive contribution of the Soviet people, namely the Red Army, to the Victory over Nazism. That's why they're going to Moscow, not Paris, London, or anywhere else. And, taking this opportunity, I would like to express my deep appreciation and gratitude to our friends for their willingness to be with us on this solemn day.
I believe that participation in the May 9 commemorative events in the Russian capital is becoming a kind of maturity marker for these national leaders. Additionally, he asserts them as firm, independent politicians representing the peoples of sovereign countries.
Look at what many of them had to go through! I can say that far from everything that came into the public domain. This is only a small part. We know — we have reliable information - that until recently, Western embassies and intelligence agencies were working locally to disrupt the visit of high-level government officials to Moscow. In the face of such an incredibly brazen, powerful treatment of any politician who announced his plans to visit our capital, direct threats, not at all joking, the arrival of each of them at our celebrations is a reflection of their absolutely principled position regarding the historical truth. Which they are not ready to give up. Which they are not ready to exchange for the favor of Brussels and others like them. And this commands great respect!
What are the conclusions from this? The first conclusion is that humanity absolutely has a future that is fundamentally different from what is being imposed on it by the West. The Moscow parade on May 9th is proof of this. I see it as a manifestation of the solidarity of forces that will guarantee the preservation of historical truth and give a new impetus to the movement towards a just world.
And the second conclusion ... The fact that the capital of Russia is becoming the main global venue for celebrating the 80th anniversary of a great historical event these days once again demonstrates the futility of the Russophobic strategy of the West and the European Union, the defeat of its policy of isolating our country; it shows the whole healthy world our political correctness and, more broadly, the irresistible power of truth. And this is our spiritual victory.
— Does what you said mean that May 9, 2025, may become a new starting point in international relations?
— I don't think it's necessary to call this a new starting point. This is not the beginning of something new. There is already an existing objective process. And the representative Victory Day Parade in Moscow is the most important point of fixation of this objective historical process and a reflection of the positions of international participants in this process. Who is on the right side of history, who chose it for themselves, and who still prefers to fight for total control over history in order to use it for their own selfish interests, including the unpunished use of any tools, including openly fascist forces. That's exactly what the West needs.
The fight for the truth will continue. And we will not give in to it. Therefore, I would call the celebration of the 80th anniversary of the Great Victory a powerful notch for a long memory ahead. This is a contribution to the future. It is very important that we, together with our friends, spend this anniversary on such a large scale.
— How should Vladimir Zelensky's words be perceived with an outright threat towards those who will be at the parade in Moscow, and how do these words influence the decision of the guests to attend the celebrations?
— Of course, these are unacceptable statements, which, I believe, should not be ignored and politically condemned in a civilized society. They are criminal. At the same time, of course, they are not spontaneous: behind every such statement by Zelensky are the voices of Brussels and London. But I can assure you that such threats definitely do not affect the decision of foreign guests who plan to visit Moscow. Those who accepted the invitation are experienced, accomplished, intelligent politicians who are able to adequately assess reality and understand that Russia has all the necessary resources in reserve to guarantee security at the parade and prevent any provocations. In this sense, the determining factor for them is trust in Russia and respect for our president, not their attitude to Zelensky's words.
President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky
As for the very content of his statements, there is nothing new there: they once again clearly showed the essence of his regime. This is a completely Nazi junta, capable of any provocation, which it has proved more than once; which is focused only on existence within the framework of a military-terrorist confrontation. That is why it is now more beneficial than ever to the Brussels bureaucracy. It is in the interests of the European Union, which lives in a paradigm of militant militarism, to continue to keep Zelensky in this rut. And such a track, of course, does not lead to peace: it does not allow for any peace agreements or the implementation of cease-fire agreements. And the reaction from Kiev to our president's initiative for a truce during the celebration of the Victory day is another confirmation of this.
"Russia and China can play a crucial role in preserving the truth for posterity"
— And what category should Trump's recent words belong to, that it was the United States that made the greatest contribution to the Victory?
— To the category of deeply erroneous. Said out of populist, domestic political considerations. They have no historical basis whatsoever. Contradicting objective facts that are found in a wide variety of documents and literature, including English-language ones. Everything is clear there. The greatest and indisputable contribution to the Victory over German fascism was made by the Red Army and the Soviet people.
US President Donald Trump
There are words by Roosevelt and Churchill, contemporaries who cannot be accused of having a special love for Soviet Russia, recognizing the key role of the Red Army. There are figures showing that Germany lost more than four times as many divisions in the Soviet sector as in all others. There is a well-known fact all over the world: the flag over Berlin was red, with Soviet, and not someone else's symbols.
— Valentina Ivanovna, isn't it possible that after the Victory anniversary, international activity in defending historical truth will naturally decrease and this will allow the West to continue its systematic work to distort it?
"Absolutely not. Our high activity in opposing Western attempts to rehabilitate Nazism is not a one-time event dedicated to the Victory anniversary. We will continue to act with the same intensity. And we will involve our friends as much as possible, join forces with sovereign countries that, like us, consider it necessary to resist the distortion of the truth. Because it's not just the desire of the West to rewrite paragraphs in textbooks in order to absolve itself of responsibility for the past. There is a deeply thought-out plan behind this. And you can't take him lightly. This is a plan for the deliberate systemic rehabilitation of Nazism and fascism, aimed at the future, creating comfortable conditions, a base for the promotion of modern and future neo-Nazi, militaristic, neocolonial projects. Such as Kievsky. This is the coordinate system in which the West will try by all means to maintain its hegemonic position in the coming decade. And it creates risks not only for Russia and the CIS countries, but also for many states of the so-called Global South.
By the way, I want to say that we are discussing this in negotiations and we know from conversations with our colleagues from friendly countries that they see these risks and assess them seriously. And the issue of a fair approach to the history and results of the Second World War is extremely important to them. They talk about it directly.
For example, for China, preserving the full truth about their struggle shoulder to shoulder with the Soviet troops and allies against Japanese militarism and German fascism, their great contribution to the global victory and the terrible, multimillion—dollar sacrifices of the Chinese people is an absolute position from which they will not retreat under any circumstances. I have no doubt that on the anniversary days of September, China will once again be able to demonstrate this with dignity, on a large scale and at a high international level. We have the deepest respect for the will and consistency of our Chinese colleagues in this matter. And, I believe, by combining our efforts in the fight against Western attempts to distort the real contribution of the peoples of the world to the defeat of fascism and militarism, Russia and China will be able to play a decisive role in preserving the truth for posterity. In this regard, I would like to emphasize the highest historical significance of such a long and meaningful visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Russia on the days of the 80th anniversary of the Victory and his participation in the solemn memorial events.
— Do your words mean that the world should celebrate another 80th anniversary on a large scale in September?
- yes. And this will reflect historical justice. I believe that the 80th anniversary of the victory over Japanese militarism and thus the 80th anniversary of the end of the long World War in all theaters of action is a date that requires great public and global attention. Of course, this victory is of particular importance for countries such as Russia, the People's Republic of China, and Mongolia. And I am sure that in our countries we will celebrate the anniversary widely and with dignity, hold a number of large-scale events, and pay tribute to the heroes who laid down their heads in the fight against fascism in the Far East and Asia.
I think that joint anniversary celebrations and the presence of Russian officials at the parade to be held in Beijing would be absolutely appropriate. But it is too early to talk about the format in which joint events could take place.
"The system of international relations is undergoing a fundamental restructuring"
— And finally. Following the results of the Second World War, the Yalta-Potsdam system was created. For many decades, it has protected the world from global wars. However, it is now obvious that the system of international relations needs to be adjusted. What do you see as its main directions? Will the United Nations retain its key role?
— What is happening in geopolitics now is not an adjustment, as you put it, it is a fundamental restructuring of the system of international relations. It is changing from bipolar to multipolar, more just, and taking into account the interests of the countries of the Global South, which have been under Western occupation for many years. It is impossible to call it anything else. And now there is a return of their identity, the growth of self-awareness. The process of the emergence of new centers of economic, political, and military power, and the formation of international organizations is gaining momentum. And this process cannot be stopped. Russia not only welcomes him, but even more than that, it is a kind of guide for this movement. Together with like-minded BRICS, SCO and others. I think this is largely due to the growing weight of our country and its authority in the world.
Now, as for the Yalta-Potsdam system: indeed, it is gradually dying out. Although I would like to emphasize once again the decisive role that she has certainly played all this time in establishing a peaceful life for humanity after a bloody war and in preventing global conflicts.
We must admit that we should be grateful to the Yalta-Potsdam system primarily for the United Nations. The United Nations is the framework of modern world politics, its foundation. And to answer your question, I'm sure it should be preserved. There is no alternative to it. Even though it is the brainchild of Yalta and was originally filled with a bipolar reality.
The reality is already multipolar, as I said, and it seems to me that the success of humanity passing through such a stage of international turbulence, which we are currently witnessing, depends on how effective our joint efforts to adapt the UN institutions to modern reality will be. At the same time, I am convinced that in a multipolar world, the UN Charter, which enshrines the principle of sovereign equality of all states, should remain its legal foundation.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
