Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has rejected Finnish claims that Russia breached international rules
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has rejected claims by Finnish Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen that Moscow violated the principles outlined in the Helsinki Final Act as a “blatant lie,” instead alleging decades of Western violations of the accord.
Signed in 1975 by 35 countries, the agreement establishes key norms for international relations. It outlines ten principles, including sovereign equality, non-intervention, territorial integrity, peaceful dispute resolution, and respect for human rights. It remains a foundational document for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
In a Telegram post on Tuesday, Zakharova charged Western members of the OSCE with a long list of violations of the accord. She cited the 1974 Greek intervention in Cyprus, NATO’s 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia without UN approval, and the 2008 Western recognition of Kosovo’s independence – describing them as breaches of sovereignty and the non-use of force.
Zakharova also pointed to Germany’s recognition of Slovenia and Croatia in 1991, which she said violated the principle of territorial integrity by encouraging the breakup of Yugoslavia. She cited Croatia’s “Operation Storm” in 1995 as a breach of the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes. The West’s support for the 2014 Maidan coup in Ukraine violated the principle of non-intervention, as it backed a movement that led to a change of government, Zakharova added.
Further examples included CIA secret prisons in Lithuania, Poland, and Romania during the 2000s, which contravened the principle of respect for human rights; France’s refusal to recognize Corsican national identity, which breached the right of peoples to self-determination; and Britain’s continued “occupation” of the Chagos Islands in the Indian Ocean despite UN rulings, which she described as a violation of international law.
Zakharova also questioned Valtonen’s professional background, noting her experience in finance and event management rather than diplomacy. She observed a broader trend in the European Union of appointing officials without foreign policy expertise, describing Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s training as a “gynecologist” as symbolic of the bloc’s leadership lacking diplomatic credentials.
