Russian President Vladimir Putin said on state television on Sunday that his country has “no interest” in fighting NATO countries, neither geopolitically, economically nor militarily.
“The entire NATO cannot help but understand that Russia has no motive, no interest, neither geopolitically, economically, politically nor militarily in the struggle with the NATO countries.’, he said in statements for the program ‘Moscow. Kremlin. Putin.”
Putin emphasized that this includes the United States, which he called “the sole owner of NATO,” as the military bloc is “his backyard.”
“We have no territorial disputes with them, nor do we have any desire to spoil relations with them.” underlined, statements published on Telegram by Pavel Zarubin, the presenter of the program.
The Kremlin is interested “in developing relations” with these countries, which from the beginning supported Ukraine in its war with Russia.
Putin called US President Joe Biden’s accusations that Russia is preparing to attack the Atlantic Alliance “sovereign nonsense”.
“I think President Biden also understands that this is just a figure of speech to justify his erratic policies toward Russia,” he said.
Looking back, Putin accused the West of seeking the breakup of the Russian Federation after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
In this way, Russia “will have no weight or voice and will not be able to defend its national interests as the united Russian State does,” he declared.
“They will have to find common ground with us, because they will have to take us into account,” emphasized the Russian leader, who guarantees that the world is changing and that the West is no longer the only hegemonic power.
He also admitted that in the first years of his term at the head of the Kremlin he was guilty of “naivety”, thinking that the former enemies of the USSR would understand that Russia is a different country, that it ” ideological antagonism’ was over and that it was necessary to renounce the politics of ‘confrontation’.
Putin, who has been in power since 2000 and who will receive support from the Kremlin party on Sunday for his bid for re-election in the 2024 presidential elections, assured this week in his first major press conference after the war that there will be no peace in Ukraine until Russia achieves the goals it set in February 2022.
Putin warns Finland that it will have problems with Russia because it joins NATO
The Russian president also warned Finland that the “friendly relationship” between the two countries could experience “difficulties” after the Nordic country’s accession to NATO.
“There were no problems. There will be now. Let’s create the Leningrad Military District (Northwest) and concentrate military units there. Did they need this? It’s just absurdPutin said.
The Russian leader said that all territorial disputes between the two countries were resolved in the mid-20th century, and therefore he regretted that “Finland was drawn into NATO.”
“We had very good and cordial relations,” he emphasized.
Moscow plans to strengthen its northwestern flank, especially the region around the country’s second city, St. Petersburg, which is only about 300 kilometers from the Finnish capital Helsinki.
Experts consider Finland’s entry into the Atlantic Alliance as one of Putin’s biggest miscalculations when he launched his military campaign in Ukraine in February 2022.
This week, the Kremlin warned that the deployment of US troops on Finnish territory would pose a clear threat to Russia.
Finland and the United States have reached a cooperation agreement that will allow U.S. forces to use 15 military bases in the Scandinavian country, the Finnish government said Thursday.
The Finnish Foreign Ministry explained in a statement that this measure will strengthen the defense of the Nordic country, allowing the presence and training of US troops and the storage of defense equipment on its territory.
Source: DN
