In an interview with Al Mayadeen Net, the Russian Ambassador to Lebanon, Alexander Rudakov, called on all parties to prevent further escalation in occupied Palestine, stressing the need for immediate ceasefires and the rejection of violence as a mean to achieve the goals.

"Stopping the current round of war in Palestine can only be achieved through political and diplomatic means and sitting at the negotiating table," Rudakov continued.

The Russian ambassador pointed out that "the United States' attempt to involve itself in the conflict and flex its muscles is like adding fuel to a fire," adding that "the American aircraft carriers and their weapons do not frighten anyone," and that the US presence only destabilizes the situation and constitutes "an extra source of nuisance."

"One random spark could plunge the entire Middle East into the fire of war," Rudakov said.

Ukrainian counterattack

Asked about his assessment of the Ukrainian counterattack, Rudakov said that it was a failure, and Western media tried to promote it as more than an attempt to conduct a tactical operational maneuver.

Regarding the possibility of some radical changes occurring on the battlefield, he said, "The changes may be related to the supply of new types of advanced Western weapons and their expected results on the battlefield."

He continued that Western analysts talked a lot about the supply of advanced weapons to Ukraine, with each one of them being presented as a "game changer," but in reality, they were successfully defeated by the armed forces of the Russian Federation and were even "crushed."

The Russian ambassador added, "There will be no breakthrough shifts or changes on the contact line as a result of the Ukrainian counterattack. In essence, nothing has changed."

He pointed out that Western countries do not feel sorry for their money, nor for their army, and certainly not for the Ukrainians, but rather aim only to inflict maximum damage on Russia, and present this as a victory for their "democracy."

Regarding the impact of the Israeli aggression on Gaza on the degree of Western intervention in the Ukrainian conflict, Rudakov said that this will certainly affect, Western countries will feel tired of everything related to Ukraine.

He went on to say, "The number of people willing to donate money to Kiev is constantly decreasing, and even Ukrainian officials themselves admit this because there is a concept in the West that money and weapons are going to waste."

As for the escalation of the Arab-Israeli confrontation, he said that it would certainly affect the situation in Ukraine, and he continued, "I think that the process has already started, as the Middle East has now become the focus of attention of Western capitals, and Ukraine has become out of sight."

About Russian economy

"The Russian economy maintains positive dynamics with confidence. Real income is growing, unemployment has reached its lowest levels in history, and the ruble exchange rate and budget revenues remain within very comfortable values," the Russian ambassador said, adding "It must be recognized that the barrage of sanctions, which is absolutely unprecedented in terms of scale, has created some problems for the national economy, but the government and the Central Bank are responding quickly and correctly to any challenges imposed by the West on Russia."

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He added, "The seizures and freezing of Russian public and private assets abroad have undermined confidence in the US-centered monetary and financial system." Currently, he added, many countries around the world are seriously considering the reliability of these "partners" and reconsidering their developmental interests.

He stressed that the best way to resolve the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is for national security interests must be taken into account, continuing, "Attempts are still being made for NATO's aggressive expansion along our borders in Ukraine, Georgia, and in other directions, and we cannot count the number of times we have expressed our unacceptance of such overtly hostile tactics.

Rudakov pointed out that Western countries are seeking to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield by deploying the full power of the NATO military-industrial complex and all available intelligence tools to accomplish this mission, asking: "Is this how those seeking to resolve conflicts at the negotiating table behave? I don't think so."

Rudakov pointed out that the Kiev regime continues to resort to terrorist methods in an all-out war against everything Russian, where civilian infrastructure is being attacked, civilians are being attacked, and terrorist attacks are being carried out against Russian politicians and other public figures, and in this context, it becomes clear: "We are dealing with terrorists."

Regarding the US support for Ukraine, Rudakov said that financing Zelensky's regime is a very expensive business, and the pockets of US taxpayers have already become empty.

He stressed that the recent vote on the US budget is a clear example of correcting Washington's course, as allocating funding to Kiev became a stumbling block, and US lawmakers were forced to remove it from the financial plan.

He added that the beginning of a new political cycle in the United States is approaching, which also calls into question the future of the Kiev regime's "life support" system.

"The unprecedented escalation in Gaza brought about changes in Washington's plans. Notice how quickly and easily funds and weapons were allocated to support Israel, and how quickly the US Navy group reached the eastern Mediterranean," he said.

The US support for Kiev will likely witness changes in form and size, but not in substance, he noted.

Our foreign policy is based on equality

Regarding the basic difference between Russian foreign policy and the policies of Western countries, the Russian ambassador said that his country's foreign policy is based on the principle of sovereign equality among all countries, and non-interference in internal affairs.

He continued that the "collective West" implements its foreign policy in completely different ways, as they view other countries as bases of resources and spheres of influence, and deal with them accordingly. It often amounts to outright blackmail and "arm-twisting."

"The foreign policies affecting Lebanon are an example, as we see that Washington and Brussels are trying to impose political decisions on Beirut, and they impose sanctions on some individuals and threaten others with them. They also accuse local politicians of corruption and hold them responsible for all the problems of the Lebanese people, even though they themselves are behind it," he said.

He pointed out that the violence witnessed on the southern border of Lebanon is the result of the chronic failure to comply with the relevant resolutions issued by the United Nations and its Security Council.

Regarding Russian relations with Beirut, the Russian ambassador said that there are plans to achieve this, continuing, "We see in Beirut a constructive and reliable partner in general, and has great potential, which has not yet been fully exploited, and what hinders this situation in many respects is the political vacuum in the country, not to mention the severe financial and economic crisis."

He added that the Russian Embassy in Beirut works daily to establish contacts with Lebanese businessmen working in various fields, and receives commercial offers from Russian companies wishing to enter the Lebanese market.

He stressed the importance of resolving the issue of the return of direct flights between Moscow and Beirut as soon as possible, saying that this could give a good boost to the Lebanese tourism sector and provide regular seasonal income to the national budget from Russian citizens.

He said that the main link of relations with Lebanon at the present time is culture, and the coming year is scheduled to be declared a Russian-Lebanese year of cultural exchange on the occasion of the eightieth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Russia and Lebanon.

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