The fallout from the Foreign Ministry’s remark on the Russian-Ukrainian war continues to weigh on the field of conflict between Prime Minister Najib Mikati and the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, MP Gebran Bassil.

After Sawt Beirut International revealed that Bassil had directly intervened to issue the famous statement, it was discovered that Mikati was aware of all these interventions and expressed his displeasure that there are strong relations with Russia and the statement could have been avoided.

However, sources close to Moscow expressed that “They are worried by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry’s statement, and they have sent a letter to Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib. They also do not understand how Bassil, who is perceived to be closer to Moscow than to Washington, can influence in an official statement. It is supposed to be issued in accordance with Lebanon’s foreign policy that takes into account the interests of both countries.”

According to our sources, “we did not expect a statement expressing positivity for the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, but at the very least, we should not have aligned ourselves with Ukraine, or at least demand the arbitration of the language of reason, such as not asking Russia to stop the war immediately, which irritated the Russian leadership.”

According to the sources, Moscow will take a strict and clear stance on the aforementioned statement, but the ongoing war takes precedence now, and it will be a matter of considering the foreign ministry statement later because it is not permissible to remain silent about it, especially since the government adopted neutrality in its ministerial statement.

Similarly, sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Bou Habib is backed by Bassil, and that he is in direct communication with him, and that he has communicated a message to him that he would support him and be by his side in any situation he may encounter.

Noting that Bassil is aware that siding with Washington does not assist in easing the restrictions, but he should avoid imposing further penalties; additionally, Bassil likes to avoid anything that damages Washington, particularly stances taken by Hezbollah in ongoing disputes in the area.