Newsweek
Russia on Wednesday branded U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan an attempt to divert attention from what it called a “disaster” in Ukraine that Washington “created with their own hands.” In an interview with state-run Sputnik radio, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova blasted the visit to the self-ruled island, which China claims as part of its territory. “This is an absolute disaster that the United States itself created with its own hands around Ukraine, the failure of everything that is connected in this regard in the European direction. Europeans have turned to Washington and wonder what will happen next, because winter is around the corner,” she said. “The impasse required a drastic change in the information paradigm, which Pelosi did.” Moscow has sought to strengthen ties with Beijing, as Chinese support has helped Russian President Vladimir Putin while he faces global pariah status due to his invasion of Ukraine. Zakharova described the move by Pelosi, the highest-ranking U.S. official in 25 years to visit Taiwan, as nothing more than “PR” that shows Washington is prepared to sacrifice its reputation for short-term benefits. “The U.S. does not put a penny on any of its partners, whether they are their closest allies, strategic allies, whether they are partners, whether they are countries with which relations are developing in various directions, they do not care,” she continued. “For the sake of momentary profit, for the sake of instant conjuncture, for the sake of this notorious internal and external PR, they are ready to sacrifice everything, including the remnants of their own reputation,” Zakharova added.
