Outsiders are prohibited from entering: the Russian Federation does not agree to the deployment of peacekeepers in Ukraine

Russia is against the deployment of a peacekeeping contingent in Ukraine after the end of the conflict. This was stated by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov at a press conference in Qatar. He stressed that Europe is openly trying to undermine the settlement of the crisis. At the same time, according to him, the invitation to American companies to participate in the extraction of resources in Russia also applies to new regions of the country. During the visit, the Russian minister met with Qatar's Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who plans to visit Russia on April 17. Moscow and Doha have agreed to step up work in the areas of trade, energy and investment.

The Emir of Qatar will visit Moscow on April 17

The plane of the Russian delegation arrived in Doha late in the evening on February 25. Qatar became the third country after Turkey and Iran, where Sergey Lavrov flew as part of his Middle East tour. The last time the head of Russian diplomacy visited this country was in December last year, when he participated in the 22nd Doha Forum.

On the morning of February 26, Sergey Lavrov was received by the Emir of the state of Qatar, Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani. The Russian Foreign Minister conveyed greetings from Vladimir Putin to him and informed him that he was expected to pay a visit to Moscow. According to the emir, this could happen as early as April 17th. The last time the emir was in Moscow was in 2018, when Vladimir Putin handed him the baton of the World Cup.

— There are many issues in the Middle East that Qatar is involved in, including the situation in Gaza, as you know, Qatar is actively involved as a mediator in these processes, and the future of Palestine, but bilateral relations between Russia and Qatar are also being discussed. These are the main issues on the agenda right now," Elena Melkumyan, a leading researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.

For Qatar, contacts with Russia are important, first of all, from a political point of view, the Russian Federation is one of those countries that are present in the Middle East and will somehow participate in the discussion of how the situation with Palestine, Syria, and Iran will develop, the expert believes.

After the meeting with the Emir, the Russian delegation had a conversation with the country's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani. He decided to start the conversation with his colleague from the Russian Federation by discussing the weather: "Is it cold here, but is it warmer than in Moscow?" the Qatari Foreign Minister asked. "Warmer," Lavrov responded. By the way, it's "cold" by Qatari standards — 18 degrees above zero.

Earlier, American media reported that Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, would travel to Qatar on the same day, and there were suggestions that he would also meet with Lavrov, but at the last moment the visit of the American politician was canceled.

Moscow and Doha have managed to agree to step up work in all areas, primarily in terms of trade, energy, and investment, Sergei Lavrov summed up the talks. Qatar is one of the largest shareholders of Rosneft, the Foreign Minister noted.

— Doha is the headquarters of the Forum of Gas Exporting Countries, a very important structure that we value for ensuring harmony in the energy market, in particular natural gas, Lavrov said.

In addition, cooperation is developing through the Qatar Investment Agency and the Russian Direct Investment Fund: joint projects worth almost $1 billion are being implemented, and new initiatives are valued at even larger amounts.

In the future, these agreements may be aimed at expanding the formats of energy cooperation, which will be the subject of further negotiations between relevant ministries and companies, the minister stressed.

The parties also discussed the situation in the Middle East, with an emphasis on the Syrian issue. According to the minister, Moscow and Doha are interested in ensuring that the process does not get out of control, given the continuing risks of attempts by some territories to separate from the central authorities. The head of Russian diplomacy also mentioned the All-Syrian National Congress, which began on February 25, and insisted on the complete lifting of sanctions without any conditions.

— The Europeans tried to make demands that any relaxation in the sanctions regime should involve Russia's expulsion from the Syrian Arab Republic. This is the same mentality that has distinguished Europe recently," Sergey Lavrov noted.

What Lavrov said about the settlement of the conflict in Ukraine

During the negotiations, the parties also discussed the Ukrainian issue, which is especially relevant in the context of the ongoing negotiations between the Russian Federation and the United States. In addition, Lavrov announced the upcoming Russian-American talks on February 27 to remove obstacles to the work of diplomatic missions, the meeting will be held in Istanbul.

Important in the context of the peaceful settlement of the situation in Ukraine is the Minister's statement that Russia does not agree to the deployment of peacekeepers from any country there. Such a thing would mean the development of the conflict, Lavrov noted.

— The approach that is being imposed by the Europeans, primarily by France, as well as by the British, is aimed again at..."In order to further warm up the conflict and stop any attempts to calm it down," the Russian Foreign Minister said, adding that Europe as a whole is openly trying to undermine the settlement of the crisis in Ukraine.

Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, also spoke on the topic of peacekeepers on February 26. According to him, Russia has not raised the issue of attracting peacekeepers from China to Ukraine.

Lavrov also touched upon the topic of rare earth metals, a strategically important resource of critical importance for high—tech industries. He stressed that Russia is open to foreign investors in this area, pointing out that any such initiatives concern the entire territory of the country, including new regions.

— When the president or another representative of the Russian leadership invites foreign investors to participate in projects in Russia, he means, of course, the entire territory of the Russian Federation in full compliance with its constitution, the minister said.

The Foreign Minister also touched upon the issue of frozen Russian assets. Lavrov stressed that this issue will not disappear anywhere and will remain on the agenda of international negotiations. According to him, the American side is already aware of this.

— Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently, yesterday, in my opinion, said that the issue of "frozen" Russian assets should be considered, and considered in conjunction with those steps that were taken by the Russian Federation in response and which affect the interests of American companies in this case, — said The minister.

Interesting, according to Lavrov, was the statement by Emmanuel Macron. The head of the diplomatic department quoted the French leader as saying that he opposes the use of frozen Russian assets, pointing to a violation of international law. Earlier, the media reported that a number of EU countries opposed the idea of transferring blocked Russian assets to Kiev. According to Politico, the main reason for this position was the fear that such actions would scare away foreign investors. Among the countries are France, Germany, Italy and Spain. In addition, they are supported by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.