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| Oleg Ozerov |
Oleg Ozerov, the head of Russia-Africa Partnership Forum, said on Friday that Western efforts to pressure Africa to turn against Russia over the conflict in Ukraine have failed.
Ozerov, who spoke to Newsweek, said people in Africa refused to succumb to Western pressure because they understood the nature of the conflict in Ukraine. They see the unipolar world order ending, he said.
The Russian ambassador-at-large stated that the inter-parliamentary conference of Russia and Africa, which was attended by 40 out of 54 African countries, showed that the West was wrong.
According to him, it broke the myth about Russia's alleged isolation that is persistently promoted in the West.
Ozerov revealed that Russia will continue to cooperate with Africa in many areas, including military alliance and development.
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| Sergei Lavrov and President Vladimir Putin |
Meanwhile, on Sunday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned that the United States and its allies are "playing with fire" by planning to provide Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets.
In an interview with Russia 1 Television, Lavrov said that the plan is an unacceptable escalation, which, according to him, is dictated by Washington, London and their satellites within the EU.
Russia will not hesitate to protect its territory and fight any threat to its existence, he said, even as fighting in Ukraine continues.