Sergey Karaganov
Sergei Alexandrovich Karaganov heads the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy of Russia and is very close to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Lavrov and above all to Wladimir Putinone of whom is his advisor.
The also dean of the faculty of world economy and international affairs of the Moscow School of Economics gave an interview to the Italian newspaper Corriere della Serain which he referred to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and stated: “This is a war against the West, the ends of which could be achieved in Europe“.
“Putin said that if Ukraine had joined NATO, there would be no Ukraine. In 2008 there was a fast membership plan. It was blocked by our efforts and those of Germany and France, but Ukraine has now joined NATO. It was filled with weapons and its troops were being trained by NATO, its army was getting stronger and stronger. We have seen a rapid rise in neo-Nazi sentiment in this country. Ukraine became like Germany in 1936-1937. War was inevitable, they were a spearhead of NATO. We made a very difficult decision: attack first before the threat becomes even more deadly.“, justified the invasion decided by Vladimir Putin.
When asked how he could think that a small country like Ukraine would attack a nuclear superpower like Russia, the official said: “Ukraine was built by the United States and other NATO countries as a spearhead, perhaps of aggression, or at least pressure, to bring the Western military machine closer to the heart of Russia.. We see now how prepared they were for war. And Nazism isn’t just about being anti-Jewish. Nazism is the supremacy of one nation over another. Nazism is the humiliation of other nations.”
Sergey Aleksandrovich Karaganov heads the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy of Russia, is very close to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and especially to Vladimir Putin, of whom he is one of his advisers
Karaganov said so does not believe in a change of power in Russia there “We’re fighting a war of survival. It’s a war against the West where people gather around the leader. And in the United States, nobody paid for the war in Iraq, so we have our doubts about the effectiveness of democracy,” he continued.
In another excerpt from the interview with the Italian newspaper, Putin’s adviser noted that the “A real war is now against Western expansionism‘ and explained it as follows: ‘We see Western expansion taking place and Russophobia reaching levels of interwar anti-Semitism. So conflicts were already becoming likely. And we have seen deep divisions and structural problems in Western societies. So the Kremlin decided to strike first. One of the purposes of this military operation will be to restructure the Russian elite and society. It will become a more militant society based on nationality, crowding out the non-patriotic elements of the ruling class.”
Asked if the aim of the war was to boycott NATO’s presence in Central and Eastern Europe, the official said: “Most of the institutions are, in our opinion, one-sided and illegitimate. They threaten Russia and Eastern Europe. We wanted a just peace, but the greed and stupidity of Americans and the short-sightedness of Europeans have shown us that these actors do not want it. We must correct their mistakes“.
A funeral service worker looks at the bodies of civilians collected from the streets at the local cemetery as Russia’s assault on Ukraine continues in the city of Bucha (REUTERS / Oleg Pereverzev)
Then he clarified that Russia doesn’t think the European Union is ‘illegitimate’ but he claimed:Sometimes we don’t like their politics, especially when they become increasingly belligerent“. At the same time he said: “is becoming more and more likely” to be an escalation of this war to other countries is inevitable.
“The Americans and their NATO partners continue to send arms to Ukraine. If this continues, destinations in Europe could be affected or lines of communication disrupted. Then the war could escalate. It’s becoming more and more plausible. I think the American generals see it the same way I do,” he said.
Asked about the Bucha massacre, Karaganov said that it “a staging, a provocation. It’s 99% staged. But the war is on and civilians are suffering. Neo-Nazi forces used civilians as human shields, particularly in Mariupol‘ he remarked. At the same time he declared this Russians opened humanitarian corridors, but they ‘were blocked by nationalist forces’.
Finally, when asked about the relationship with Beijing after Western sanctions, Putin’s adviser replied: “We are becoming more integrated and more dependent on China. This has positive elements, however in general we will be much more dependent‘ he admitted; And followed: “I’m not too scared of becoming a pawn in China because Russia has a spirit of sovereignty and we are culturally different from the Chinese.. I don’t think China can or wants to surpass us. However, we are not happy because in reality I would have preferred to have had better relations with Europe.”
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At least 39 dead and 100 injured in Russian attack on civilians at Kramatorsk railway station 14 bodies found in residential areas of Kharkiv The Ukrainian army has condemned that Russia is preparing an offensive in the east of the country while the siege of Mariupol continues