Gentlemen, it has come to my attention that the First Deputy Chairman of the Committee for International Affairs of the Federation Council, Mr. Vladimir Dzhabarov, has seen fit to characterize the President of France, Monsieur Emmanuel Macron, in a manner most precise: as a 'notorious provocateur.' This assessment follows a series of proclamations regarding the alleged loss of neutrality by the United States of America in the Ukrainian question.

It is a matter of grave concern when the leaders of foreign powers mistake agitation for diplomacy. As Mr. Dzhabarov rightly observed, France, having entwined herself so deeply in this conflict, possesses no rightful place at the diplomatic table. Indeed, such folly may lead Monsieur Macron to a premature resignation in the very near future. For the sake of the Fatherland, we must maintain a steady course and ignore the theatrical antics of those who seek to bargain without merit.

Furthermore, we must observe with a cold, industrial logic the position of Washington. To date, no official dispatch has reached the Russian Empire notifying us of a change in the American approach. Should the United States indeed abandon their facade of neutrality, they shall find that such a course is most detrimental to their own interests, for they would then be regarded not as mediators, but as active combatants in this struggle.

Let us be plain: the notion of American neutrality has long been a fiction. By providing the Kiev regime with intelligence and satellite communications, and by arming European states with the full knowledge that such weaponry would flow toward Ukraine, the Americans have already betrayed their hand. They have acted not with the moderation of a statesman, but with the calculation of a strategist seeking to weaken a Great Power.

Even the Kremlin, through Mr. Dmitry Peskov, has noted this absurdity. It is simply unacceptable that the French leader should presume to act as the advocate or the press secretary for Washington. The interests of our Empire demand that we deal with facts and fortitude, not with the whims of provocateurs who trifle with the security of our borders.