West ‘deceived & crucified’ Ukraine: Key takeaways from interview with Russian FM spokesperson

Western claims that Moscow is about to invade Ukraine are just a facet of a fake reality that it tries to sell the world, the spokesman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova told RT in an exclusive interview on Tuesday. She claims the biggest victim of this process is Ukraine itself, which is suffering because the US drew it into its games, which only further America’s selfish interests.

Zakharova also shared her thoughts on the political crisis with the West, pressure against RT DE in Germany, and other major issues. Here are key takeaways from her interview:

Russia won’t put up with ‘Western lies’

When it comes to Russia coverage, Western media are moving in lockstep with the goals of their respective governments, whipping up public support for more confrontation, Zakharova said. It’s an obviously “coordinated campaign” meant to gaslight people, not unlike what happened in the movie ‘Wag the Dog.’
One of the more subtle recent examples cited by the Russian diplomat was the story about a “supposedly ordinary” Ukrainian mother of three who bought a rifle and military gear to fight off Russian troops. It was reported this year by multiple Western outlets.

The woman actually joined Ukraine’s so-called territorial self-defense forces in 2020, long before the current escalation, according to the Ukrainian version of German state broadcaster Deutsche Welle. There is evidence that she has been active in Ukrainian nationalist circles for years. But those details of her bio were not reported to Western readers.
The stream of one-sided and often contradictory information fed to audiences “is total madness,” Zakharova said. Similar saturation of news with innuendos and falsities had been used on many occasions in the past, like when the US was gearing up for the 2003 invasion of Iraq or the 2011 bombing of Libya, she added.
“The Western society may have accustomed itself to this kind of media shenanigans. They probably realize what’s happening and think nothing can be done about this global-scale deceit, but we disagree. We don’t want to live in a kingdom of сrooked mirrors. We won’t put up with these endless lies. We know it only takes one time to lose it,” Zakharova said.

The West victimized Ukraine for its own benefit
The biggest victim of the current US-Russian standoff over Ukraine is Ukraine itself, the Russian diplomat said. The country was targeted by a coup plot, the ultimate goal of which was to tear the country away from Russia, she said. It hindered Moscow’s attempts at economic integration with its post-Soviet neighbors and to “make impossible normal energy cooperation” between Russia and its European customers.

Washington is the obvious winner in the situation, Zakharova argued. It slowed down its competitor, Russia. It also created opportunities for its liquified natural gas “through political blackmail.” And it managed to further its military interests on the continent, including in Ukrainian territory, she argued. Meanwhile, Ukrainians ended up being poorer and less secure, contrary to what was promised to them, the official added.
“[Western inciters of Ukraine] deceived her, raped her, and then crucified her,” Zakharova said. “They don’t care at all about what happens to the Ukrainian people.”
The Russian official stressed that despite her often-sarcastic remarks about what’s happening in Ukraine, “deep down” she is “genuinely sorry” about how the country was hurt by Washington’s games.

NATO unity is a myth
The US reserves the same “selfish” treatment for some of its closest allies, like Germany, Zakharova pointed out. According to her, Washington twisted Berlin’s arms to slow down and potentially scrap the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, using “Russia scaremongering” tactics. Germany’s obstruction of RT DE, which is RT’s German-language sister channel, along with the US drive to maintain Western control over public discourse, hurt Berlin’s relations with Moscow, the official argued.
Berlin effectively banned the Russian channel from broadcasting in Germany, claiming its Serbia-issued license was not valid in the country. In the interview, Zakharova said that simply was not true. After failing to resolve the situation, Moscow kicked out Deutsche Welle in retaliation, but is willing to de-escalate, if Germany agrees, the diplomat said. Moscow’s stance boils down to a Russian saying that basically means “you get what you give.”

Washington’s dismissive attitude toward Germany was obvious in the way some American ambassadors to the country ordered German officials around during his tenure, Zakharova said. She named Richard Grenell, who served under former US President Donald Trump, as an example.
“Why does Berlin allow the US to talk to it that way? Well, probably the presence of US troops in Germany is a factor,” she suggested. Countries like Russia and China don’t allow such disrespect, which may explain why the US is at odds with those nations, she added.
But American arrogance and selfishness are what undermine the institutions that serve its interests, like NATO. Washington has to apply leverage every time allied nations oppose its agenda, as when France and Germany refused to take part in the invasion of Iraq.
“When some sort of unity is brought up, it’s a myth that they sell us. Even where this unity actually exists, it’s achieved through coercion and blackmail – economic, financial, at times even humanitarian – by the Big Brother,” she said. “It’s not a unity of like-minded parties, of comrades, of partners. It's unity by force.”