MOSCOW, September 25. /TASS/. The Kiev regime’s attacks on Russian merchant vessels and tankers and on ships flying foreign flags prompted a response from Moscow, Russia’s Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Peskov noted that there is no need to rush the appointment of Russian ambassadors to Great Britain and France, given the lack of normal bilateral relations with those countries.

TASS has compiled key statements by the Kremlin spokesman.

Ankara has put forward proposals on ensuring security in the Black Sea, but no substantive talks on the issue are underway: "The Turkish side did indeed put forward proposals [on ensuring security in the Black Sea], but there are no substantive talks on this issue."

"Many countries are actively raising this issue. The Turkish side is raising it too, naturally, Ukrainians are actively talking about it. Yes, that is true: it is a pressing issue."

Attacks by the Kiev regime on Russian merchant vessels and tankers and on vessels flying foreign flags prompted a response from Moscow: "You know that the Ukrainian side began striking our merchant vessels, our tankers, merchant vessels and tankers flying foreign flags, including those linked to the United States of America, and began destroying Turkish merchant vessels with drones. And, of course, this prompted retaliatory actions by Russia."

Any solution to ensure security in the Black Sea must be comprehensive, as Russia has stressed: "As for ensuring security [in the Black Sea], the solution must be comprehensive. It is difficult to envisage solutions in individual areas at present. This requires very complex negotiations. There must be a comprehensive solution. That is what we have been saying."

Russia carefully tracks which weapons and production licenses the Kiev regime receives: "We are, of course, closely watching which countries grant which licenses and supply which weapons. We take all of this carefully into account."

As for Vladimir Zelensky’s claims that US President Donald Trump had allegedly promised Kiev licenses to produce missiles for Patriot air defense systems, Zelensky "has said a lot lately."

It is not sufficient to meet Russian needs but import sanctions should be lifted in order to remove the ban on diesel fuel exports: "If we are talking about saturating international markets with Russian diesel fuel, about export ban lifting, it is not enough to simply provide for domestic needs, diesel fuel reserves, and open diesel fuel exports. The safety of navigation in the Black Sea should be concurrently provided. But even that is not enough. For international markets to be saturated, the diesel should come there unhindered, that is, without any sanctions, without any restrictions, and so on. Therefore, only a comprehensive solution is possible here."

Russia is in no hurry to appoint new ambassadors to Great Britain and France, given the lack of normal bilateral relations with those countries: "They [decrees about] dismissals or appointments are not necessarily signed simultaneously, and there may be certain pauses. The more so since, as you can see, there is no need to hurry amid the absence of bilateral relations."

The Kremlin admits that contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Serbian counterpart Aleksandar Vucic on the gas contract could take place: "We do not rule out such a contact."