Moscow - Saba:
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated on Sunday that following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the West aimed to achieve geopolitical advantages at the expense of Russia.
Putin explained that after the Soviet Union's dissolution, the West "decided to live according to rules it had set for itself," while disregarding Russia’s interests.
In an unpublished segment of an interview featured in the documentary “Russia. The Kremlin. Putin. 25 Years,” cited by Sputnik News Agency, President Putin said: “Taking into account that the Soviet Union made a grave mistake by dissolving itself — I believe I never discussed this with my predecessors — they assumed that Russia would become part of what is called the civilized world... However, the West decided the following: well, the Soviet Union no longer exists, so why should we follow any rules regarding Russia, which no longer possesses the power the Soviet Union once had? So now, we’ll shape things the way we want and live by the rules we created for ourselves, while ignoring our (Russia’s) interests.”
Putin emphasized that “it became clear to Russia that it would not be taken into account unless it declared itself a sovereign state capable of defending its own future.”