KUWAIT: The Russian Embassy in Kuwait commemorated Russia’s Day of the Fatherland which falls on February 23 of every year on Thursday. The event was hosted by Russian Ambassador to Kuwait Vladimir Zheltov, with the attendance of ambassadors of a number of countries, as well as local and international personalities.

The Russian ambassador to the country confirmed that there is military cooperation between Russia and Kuwait, pointing out that the joint military exercises in Kuwait between the Russian National Guard forces and the Kuwaiti Special Forces ended recently. He revealed that Russia is waiting to welcome the Kuwaiti team of special forces in Russia next summer, stressing the importance of joint exercises that are in the interest of both parties.

The representative of the Kuwaiti army couldn’t attend the event due to the tragic incident that claimed the lives of two military personnel and injured others last week. “We condole Kuwait’s Amir, government and people in the martyrs of duty,” Zheltov said, noting that military work is always fraught with risks.

Russia-US talks

Regarding the Russian-American meeting in Riyadh and the resulting international optimism for a resolution to the Ukrainian-Russian war, he pointed out that “the use of the word optimism is not accurate,” when describing the current situation. “Europe and Ukraine are suffering from a state of frustration (which) was expected due to the presence of many external players in the Ukrainian equation,” he said.

He expected that with the new American leadership, the situation will be different. He explained that President Donald Trump has different ideas, as he sees the interest of the United States is in reestablishing relations with Russia.

Still, he said the road to a settlement with Ukraine is full of obstacles and that a resolution is still far away. “There are great obstacles standing in the way of the desired goal, which is to reach an agreement that guarantees security for all,” he said.

With regard to Russian relations with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, he pointed out that the Saudi leadership is characterized by wisdom, and that it is considered a partner country. “Perhaps the conversation between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman regarding Saudi Arabia hosting the Russian-American consultations is evidence of the confidence of the Russian and American parties in the Saudi leadership,” he said.

Russia with Palestine

Zheltov also addressed the diplomatic initiatives, especially the Kuwaiti ones, regarding the situations in Syria and Gaza. He explained that the Palestinian issue is “very difficult and complex due to internal factors and external interventions.” But he clarified that Russia is with the Palestinian people and their right to exist in their homeland.

He stressed that the Palestinian people deserve a decent life on their land, indicating that Russia hopes for Arab unity and that there is one Arab voice to reject all attempts to displace Palestinians. “Russia wishes for Arab unity and for there to be a single Arab voice to reject all attempts to replace a true settlement of the Palestinian issue with fictitious scenarios (and) impose (these scenarios) to liquidate the Palestinian issue and empty it of its content and bury it,” he said.

Regarding the Syrian issue, Zheltov said: “Whatever the size of the internal tensions in Syria, Russia will still be present thanks to the sympathy of the Russian and Syrian people, regardless of political affiliations.” He added that in Russia there are a lot of Syrian immigrants who did not support the previous Syrian authority but were present in Russia. Many were students who currently work in Russia and a majority are naturalized. “For Syria we say that whatever the atmosphere of tensions in Syria, Russia is present and will remain there,” he said.