Zakhrova Outlines Conditions for Countries to Be Considered Friends of Russia

The spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, has outlined the conditions under which countries can be considered friends of Russia, according to TASS. Responding to the opinion that Moscow has no 'friends' in the international arena, Zakharova stated that the quantity should not be the focus in this regard. Instead, she suggested paying attention to how historical relations have formed between countries and how much their national interests are preserved.

"Friends are not measured by numbers... Russia's friends are those countries that do not betray us," the diplomat noted.

On June 3, Zakharova had previously offered advice to countries that do not wish to be included on Russia's list of unfriendly nations. "The core of our main thesis is our commitment to the development of equal relations," she stated.

The representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs emphasized that mutual respect should be the basis for any cooperation. If this condition is met, countries will not be included in such lists.

On May 14, the Russian government published a list of unfriendly countries, which included only the United States and the Czech Republic. The Czech Republic is permitted to hire no more than 19 Russian employees for its diplomatic mission in Russia, while the United States is allowed no personnel.