Interview with the Russian Ambassador to Malta H.E. Andrey Lopukhov by Shawn Borg

S.Borg. Mr. Lopukhov, first of all thank you for inviting me at your office for this interview. I have prepared some questions that I would like to discuss them with you. Most of the questions that I have prepared are questions that many Maltese are asking in particular of the situation in Ukraine and how this can affect our security.

But first would you please introduce yourself to our readers and about your profession in the Diplomatic Corp? In addition, as far as I know, Russian diplomats celebrated their professional holiday. Could you tell our readers a little about it?

A.Lopukhov. I joined the diplomatic service in 1980. Over the years, I have worked in many countries. I started out as a trainee in Upper Volta, which was the name of Burkina Faso in those days. Then - Algeria, Sweden, Great Britain, Switzerland. Malta was my first assignment as Ambassador of Russia.

Yes, February 10 is the Diplomatic Worker’s Day in Russia. The date was not chosen by chance. It is February 10, 1549, when the earliest mention of Russia's first foreign policy department - the Ambassadorial Prikaz - is dated.

It’s called a Diplomatic Worker’s Day because the holiday is dedicated not only to diplomats themselves, but also to numerous administrative and technical staff of our ministry, all those who – each in his own field - work to fulfill a common task - realization of foreign policy of our state.

Today the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia is a powerful, widely branched and highly effective mechanism. More than 10,000 people work in the Central Office in Moscow alone, and the network of foreign missions includes 242 representative offices, covering about one and a half hundred countries of the world.

Talented young people, who not only think in step with the times, but also respect professional traditions and history, join our service. Therefore, on February 10, diplomats of the Embassy - both young and older - visited Ta Braxia cemetery to lay flowers at the grave of diplomat and historian Constantine Voensky de Breze. For us, this is not only a tribute to the memory of a talented man, but also an aspiration for some moral and professional reference point, a sign of respect for all the representatives of our service who have honestly worked - both in past years and in our days - for the benefit and glory of our Fatherland.

S.Borg. Mr Lopukhov, you have been Ambassador to Malta for around 3 years now. I want your honest opinion. What is your feeling about this small island that is situated in the periphery of Europe and how you compare it to other countries that you were a diplomat representing the Russian Federation?

A.Lopukhov. From the very beginning of my diplomatic career, my mentors taught me that, in our profession, countries should not be compared, but each one should be taken for granted. Each country is unique. All these comparisons yield nothing. Indeed, one country has more snow, another has more sea. So what? You say "small island". Is that a criterion for me when it comes to my attitude towards a country? Speaking about Malta, I would emphasize another thing - the country has a vivid identity, has its own national traditions, unique language, rich cultural and historical heritage. It has its own writers and poets, artists and composers, scientists... University, theaters, cinema... A few hundred thousand people created such wealth. What feelings can there be other than deep respect for the people of this country and their achievements?

S.Borg. Malta got independence in 1964 that is 60 years ago. And 3 years later in July 26, 1967 Malta established Diplomatic relations with then USSR and in 1991 the Maltese Government recognized Russia as a sovereign successor state to the Soviet Union. In these past 57 years what achievements this Diplomatic mission obtained for the benefit of the 2 countries? Also the unfriendly declaration of Russia to Malta means that we have to start everything from the beginning?

A.Lopukhov. The Russian Embassy alone cannot do much. Here we need to talk about the result of the joint efforts of the two states. And over the past 57 years, much has been done for the benefit of our countries.

Most importantly, close friendly ties between our peoples have been established. In addition, dozens of agreements on cooperation in trade, tourism, aviation, education, financial services, information and communication technologies, etc. have been concluded over the past period. As of 2019, about 300 companies with Russian participation were registered on the island. Malta has repeatedly become a platform for Russian movie production. Malta's International Hotel Investments group of companies has owned the Corinthia St. Petersburg hotel complex since 2008. Before the coronavirus pandemic, up to one hundred and more joint cultural, educational and scientific events were organized annually in Malta. Many Maltese are graduates of Soviet and Russian universities. In addition, many Maltese families are raising adopted children from Russia.

It is only regrettable that all these achievements have been devalued, and ties have been frozen. And it was not the Russian side that did it.

I am sure that sooner or later our countries will return to a constructive agenda. As King Solomon said: "There is a time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones”. But the more you scatter them, the harder it will be to gather them.

S.Borg. Mr. Lopukhov let us talk about the Russian Cultural Centre in Valletta. Is the centre an extension of the Embassy? What is the aim of having such a centre in the capital city of Valletta?

A.Lopukhov. Russian cultural centers, to my best knowledge, operate in 80 countries of the world, about 180 in total. They work under the auspices of our embassies, but are autonomous. They are engaged in the development of friendly ties and cooperation in the field of culture, science and education, and in maintaining links with public, creative and scientific circles in foreign countries.

The Russian Centre of Culture and Science in Valletta, or as it is also called Russian House, was opened on the basis of an intergovernmental agreement in 1987. We are glad that not only our compatriots, but also native Maltese with pleasure attend concerts, screenings of Russian films, master classes on cooking Russian cuisine and other interesting cultural events organized in the RCSC. Russian language courses remain in constant demand.

Unfortunately, many of the partner cultural projects, first of all with Maltese state cultural institutions, have now been frozen. We hope that the sincere desire of the peoples of our countries for mutual cultural communication will help to overcome these difficulties.

S.Borg. Let’s start getting slowly into the subject, As in my previous question Russia sees Malta as an unfriendly country and as far as I know all diplomatic relations are suspended between the 2 countries, What the term unfriendly country means for Russia? And how you as an ambassador manage such bilateral relations between the 2 countries in this unfriendly atmosphere?

A.Lopukhov. First of all, one very important clarification. Diplomatic relations between our countries are not "suspended". The proof of this is the fact that the Russian Ambassador to Malta is talking to you in Valletta, and as recently as January 11, 2024, the new Ambassador of Malta, Mr. Carmelo Inguanez, started his work in Moscow.

Contacts between our countries continue on topical international issues, including within the framework of the UN and other international platforms, as well as on some bilateral issues.

As for the "unfriendly state", I will answer as follows. I know that there are many people in Malta who have always had an undisguised sympathy for Russia and Russians. They have a deep respect for Russian culture, and they retain these feelings even in these difficult times. I have heard about it many times from the Maltese themselves. And I understand perfectly well that it is difficult for them to put "unfriendly" on their account. By the way, according to my colleagues in European capitals, the situation is the same in most countries of the European Union.

But, listen, what definition would you give to the actions of yesterday's partners, who begin to pursue a policy that has the purpose, as it is publicly announced, of "strangling the economy" of your country? They keep imposing sanctions packages, closing their airspace to our airplanes and ports to our ships. They arrest our fellow citizens' accounts in banks, seize property belonging to them, prohibit the import and export of goods and services. And, wishing to harm you, they even often do it to their own detriment, as the saying goes, shooting themselves in the foot. By the way, for reference: despite the 12 packages of sanctions, economic growth in Russia in 2023 amounted to 3.5%, while in Germany, which refused cheap Russian gas in favor of expensive American gas, GDP shrank by 0.3%.

I'm not talking about calls to inflict a "strategic defeat" on our country and "defeat it on the battlefield".

So don't be discourteous about "unfriendly". In my opinion, it is the most diplomatic definition for the qualification in question.

S.Borg. Europe and the West are accusing your country that the Donbas is just an excuse for Russia to invade Ukraine. Also other ex-soviet states can be next in line. How you answer regarding this accusation?

A.Lopukhov. Why only "Ex-Soviet states"? Mr. Zelensky is shouting all over the world that Russia's goal is to conquer almost all of Europe. It has gotten to the point where some politicians in Brussels have declared Russia an existential threat.

Look, this is utter nonsense. Russia's goal is not new territorial acquisitions. We have enough land of our own - look at the map.

People are being frightened by the threat of Russian invasion to distract them from the truth. I will offer you a different vision of what is happening around Ukraine - a vision from which Russia proceeds and on the basis of which it builds its response. The point is that the current situation is a direct consequence of the historical confrontation between Russia and the West, the desire of NATO countries to inflict a strategic defeat on us, and to remove Russia as an independent power from the world political map. At the same time, they aimed to destroy the common historical, economic and spiritual space of the former Soviet Union and to break centuries-old ties between our peoples. Ukraine in this context is only a tool in the hands of our enemies and equally a springboard for attacks against Russia.

Today, Kiev carries out hostilities against Russia almost entirely due to the financial and military support of “collective West”, which still bets on a military solution to the problem, aims to achieve victory on the battlefield with Ukrainian hands.

As for Russia, it has been clear from the very beginning of the special operation about its reasons and tasks - to eliminate the threats to our security that were posed by NATO countries directly on our borders, and also to protect people who have been deprived of their rights by the Kiev neo-Nazi regime.

And one more very important point. Russia launched a special military operation in February 2022, not against Ukraine and not against the Ukrainian people, but against the criminal regime, which, despite our numerous efforts over many years, did not want to give up the war against its own citizens in the south and southeast of Ukraine.

As you can see, these assessments do not at all imply any actions on the part of Russia that could become the basis for the accusations you have mentioned.

S.Borg. Russia many times condemns the Western Media of instigating Russophobia among people. How relevant is this statement and do you see same sentiment in the Maltese Media?

A.Lopukhov. The Russophobic component in the Maltese press is, of course, present. We note that it is not as crude and primitive as in some other European countries. However, the majority of publications about Russia are prepared on the basis of materials of Western news agencies - AP, Reuters, AFP, which work methodically and in a coordinated manner to create an enemy image of Russia in the minds of the audience and to label the inhabitants of my country with the most disgusting human vices.

There is a very powerful anti-Russian attack on people's consciousness. And this is done under the pretext of objectivity and impartiality with complete silence of any other points of view, which are completely ignored.

Anything that does not fit into Brussels' ideological methodology is declared propaganda and banned from reproduction. Such a "freedom" of speech!

Fortunately, we have not observed any aggressive manifestations of hostility on the part of the Maltese, although, unfortunately, this propaganda conducted from Brussels finds its adherents in Malta, especially among those who were brought up in the spirit of the Cold War rhetoric and today readily pick up the scaremongering of the past century.

But it is pleasant to realize that there are many more Maltese people who still sympathize with Russian people, love Russian writers and composers. Despite all attempts to "abolish Russian culture", we are happy that classical Russian composers' works are still performed in Malta and many Maltese as before enjoy attending concerts and creative evenings of Russian performers, continue to learn Russian language, watch Russian movies.

S. Borg. The interview of Mr. Tucker Carlson with President Putin has sparked an uproar. I am not going to discuss such interview with you but The White house has issued a statement to the American people not to believe anything what President Putin said during this interview. What is your opinion about this interview in general?

Yes, yes... “Everything that Russia says is propaganda.” Familiar song. This is further evidence of how the West as a whole is ready for dialogue, taking into account the opinion of their counterpart, and we already talked about this. A very familiar American way of perceiving the world around us, when absolutely everything that is not identical to their own point of view is denied. Their narratives are being imposed clumsily and primitive. A kind of universal “ministry of truth”.

But I am convinced that all these attempts to “cancel Russia” are doomed to failure. And not only in the US, but also in Europe. I'm not even talking about the world as a whole.

If only because any person with the slightest bit of self-respect will not agree with such guidelines in the spirit of the notations of a kindergarten teacher, but will want to have his own opinion. In this sense, the recommendations you mentioned, it seems to me, only created additional advertising for this interview. What do the view figures tell you: today there are more than 200 million of them on one platform alone. And they continue to grow.

Of course, this does not mean that all these people took a “pro-Russian” position. But the fact that many millions around the planet wanted to know an alternative point of view on what is happening in Ukraine and around it, imposed by the West, and try to figure it out for themselves, says a lot.

I know that there are many of such people in Malta. And for those who have not yet done this, I advise you to watch the interview and try to look at the situation with an open mind, and make sure that Russia is not closed to dialogue, to negotiations that are built on mutual respect for interests.

S.Borg. Last year local newspapers reported that a Russian Frigate was hovering around the centre of the Mediterranean and it caused alarm in Malta and Italy that it might start a retaliation from Russia. What is your opinion about this?

A.Lopukhov. One Russian frigate in the center of the Mediterranean Sea, stuffed with NATO warships - a military threat? And NATO missiles and military bases near the Russian border - a "dove of peace"? Fairy tales for schoolchildren!

S.Borg. Mr. Lopukhov, situation in The Donbass region is in a stalemate and people are dying every day. However, Zelensky has his own 10-point peace plan that was also discussed in Malta but Russia criticized such meeting and also the Ukrainian Peace Plan. What is your view about this? Why Russia is opposing such plan? Does Russia has its own peace plan and what is it?

A.Lopukhov. The so-called "peace formula", presented by the Ukrainian president and his Western handlers as an almost alternative basis for a settlement, in fact has nothing to do with peace, but is a set of ultimatums to Russia justifying the continuation of hostilities.

Putting forward various ideas and "peace formulas", Zelensky cherishes the illusion of achieving, with the help of the West, the withdrawal of our troops from the Russian territory of Donbass, Crimea, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson region, the payment of reparations by Russia, confession of guilt to international tribunals, etc. Of course, we will not talk to anyone on such terms.

When we hear calls to implement the "peace formula" and return Ukraine to the borders of 1991, the question arises: are those who call for this familiar with the statements of the Ukrainian leadership about what they are going to do to the inhabitants of the relevant territories? So, they are publicly threatened with reprisals, including physical threats, at the official level, just because, on an equal footing with other Russians, they enjoy all the measures of social support provided by Russia to its citizens - pensions, allowances, medical insurance, as well as kindergartens, schools, and so on. No! Russia will never abandon the people it has taken under its protection.

We have repeatedly said that a comprehensive, sustainable and just settlement of the conflict over Ukraine depends to a large extent on eliminating its root causes. The West must stop pumping arms into the Ukrainian armed forces, and Kiev must cease hostilities and withdraw its troops from Russian territory. It is necessary to confirm Ukraine's neutral, non-aligned and non-nuclear status, to demilitarize and denazify it, to recognize the new territorial realities, and to ensure the rights of Russian-speaking citizens and national minorities living in this country.

Unfortunately, today we see no political will for peace either in Kiev or in the West. The self-imposed ban on negotiations with the Russian leadership, established by the decree of September 30, 2022, by V.Zelensky, is still in force. The Kiev regime rejects the peace mediation initiatives presented in recent months by various countries.

Kiev continues to think in terms of war and intends to continue the conflict "until the victorious end", which obviously means "war to the last Ukrainian". In this, they are being assiduously assisted by Washington and its NATO satellites in satisfying the growing military and financial appetites of the Zelensky regime. All this only distances the prospects for a settlement.

S.Borg. My last question to you. How you see future diplomatic relations between Russia and the West and also as Ambassador to Malta with our country? Do you see any bright future in terms of Trade, Culture and the Social aspect between the two countries?

A.Lopukhov. Unfortunately, as long as Western countries do not give up pursuing hostile policies towards my country, there is no reason to talk about the prospects for a "bright future".

As for the future of diplomatic relations, it is quite obvious that once the goals of the special military operation are achieved, the task of harmonizing the model of coexistence between Russia and the West on the basis of respect for our national interests and equality for all will be on the agenda.

It seems to me that the OSCE is a platform where it is still possible to restore the dialog between the East and the West. But Western countries need to finally recognize that the old approaches no longer work. Much will depend on this year's Maltese Chairmanship: whether Valletta will continue the old course of burying the organization and turning it into a flawed institution used to aggressively push narrow vested interests, or whether it will make practical efforts to turn it into an effective platform for strengthening pan-European security and equal co-operation.

S.Borg. Mr. Lopukhov, thank you for your time, hope we can have other similar interview in the future to update the Maltese readers about this sad situation in the meantime wish you all success in your diplomatic work for the benefit our countries.

A.Lopukhov. Thank you. I would be glad to have new contacts with you. I would like to take this opportunity to wish your readers good health and prosperity.

February 28, 2024