Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was firm in her press briefing of April 8 that while Russia has advocated for and gladly welcomes the ceasefire agreed upon between Iran and the US, the coming negotiations to secure peace must be based on “respect for the legitimate rights and interests of all states in the region” and ensure security for the region such that the conflict cannot arise again.
“We proceed from the understanding that the outcome must guarantee non-recurrence of such military crises (I emphasize—man-made, entirely unprovoked) and ensure long-term peace and security in the region. We will continue to actively facilitate the attainment of these objectives,” the diplomat said.
In the same press briefing, she also highlighted Russia’s role on April 7 in vetoing a UN Security Council resolution, introduced by Bahrain, on security in the Strait of Hormuz. “The draft was misbalanced and contained one-sided anti-Iran wording,” Zakharova said, “without mentioning the initial cause of the situation in the Persian Gulf, which was the aggression by the United States and Israel against Iran.”
