President Putin, in an interview with the journalist Paul -Zarubin, admitted that this is what he believes in this matter.
He added: “Many believe, and I were among them that the main contradictions with the West are ideological. But even after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West continued to practice a transcendental position regarding the strategic interests of the Russian state. This was due to a clear desire to achieve some geopolitical advantages. ”
President Putin admitted that he did not realize this fact immediately, even when he became the head of state.
The president emphasized that, despite all attempts to clarify the position of Russia, the West remained indifferent to his interests and interests. The geopolitical interests are still the essence of all these contradictions.
The head of state touched on transcendental behavior from some residents of the West towards the Russian side and recalled the incident that occurred during his work in the office of the mayor of St. Petersburg in the 1990s. At that time, Vladimir Putin, who worked as a mayor’s deputy, refused to communicate with the American delegation, because one of his members was rude to push one of the Russian border guards.
The head of the state said: “The American delegation came to Petersburg, and one of its members acted improperly with border guards at the airport, the behavior was very rude. This question was generally considered unacceptable. Of course, we did not refuse to receive this delegation, but we worked with them on demand, according to the protocol. But I just did not communicate with them. “
The president explained his sharp reaction to this incident, saying: “The military represents the state when he fulfills his official duties. His appeal in this way means an insult to our country. ”
President Putin believes that Russia’s interests will not be observed and taken into account, especially from the West, unless this is strong and sovereign and does not protect his future.
According to him, after all the non -friendly measures that the West took towards Russia, it became clear with the collapse of the Soviet Union: “They will not take into account until we declare ourselves an independent sovereign force that can firmly protect its future.”
Source: TAS