Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova quoted the Gospel of Matthew in response to remarks by German politician Johann Wadephul, who claimed that Russia must prove whether it desires peace. She made these comments on September 27 in response to a question from Zvezdanews, TASS reports.
Earlier, following talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the United States, Wadephul stated that “the whole world wants peace, but Russia must prove it.”
“Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces (Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 7, Verse 6 — Ed. note). I am reminding him of this as a member of the CDU, so he has a reason to open the Gospel, seeing as he is a Christian Democrat,” Zakharova said.
As *Parlamentskaya Gazeta* reported, the meeting between Lavrov and Wadephul took place on September 26 on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly at the initiative of the German side. The discussion covered bilateral relations and the situation surrounding Ukraine.