V. Kostina ― Maria Zakharova has accused you of derailing the debate. What would you say to her? A. Navalny ― I’m in a rather strange situation. Even a funny one. Last night, after Maria Zakharova challenged me to a debate, I told her that I was ready to take part. This morning I confirmed that I was ready to take part. And now, on your broadcast on Echo of Moscow (a Russian radio station), I’m saying that I’m ready to take part in this debate. Of course, I would prefer it to be a normal debate with a moderator. But if Zakharova is afraid of having a moderator and just wants to shout, I’m ready for that format too. I’m ready to take part in a debate in any format. Period. Without any conditions whatsoever. But the strange thing is that I’m ready — and she’s the one refusing. At the same time, she’s writing posts claiming that I got scared and backed out. This is absolutely typical behavior for a Putin-era official. And in that sense, Zakharova is absolutely perfect. She is lying 100%. She is refusing the debate and saying that I refused. It’s a classic. It’s hard to believe someone can lie so brazenly, but she does. V. Kostina ― Alexei, she also said that your side proposed discussing only one topic. That’s from her interview with Zygar. A. Navalny ― Well, that’s nonsense. There was a reason for all this. Why did she challenge me to a debate? I certainly believed then, and still believe now, that she disgraces Russia, and the Russian Foreign Ministry in particular. I believe the statements she made in her interview with Zygar are simply completely unacceptable. She herself says that air travel and vacations are some kind of privilege reserved for wealthy people and the elite, a group she includes herself in. Since she challenged me to a debate over that, then of course that should be the main topic. But no one is restricting the discussion to other topics. Still, I want to reiterate that if she is the one challenging me, I am ready for a debate on any terms. Once again, so that everyone is clear: I am ready for a debate on any platform and under any conditions, if Maria Zakharova really believes that I’m afraid of her.
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