The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it is false for European officials to claim Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to rebuild the Soviet Union. It also dismissed suggestions that Putin plans to attack a NATO country, calling such ideas completely foolish.
Putin, who grew up in the Soviet Union, once described the USSR’s collapse in 2005 as the greatest geopolitical disaster of the 20th century, saying it left millions of Russians poor and pushed Russia toward possible breakup.
According to Reuters, critics argue that modern Russia under Putin is sinking into a mix of repression and absurdity, similar to the Soviet Union during Leonid Brezhnev’s rule. Western leaders believe that if Putin succeeds in Ukraine, he could eventually target NATO countries.
Putin has repeatedly denied that he has any plans to attack NATO and has said that such a step would be foolish for Russia given the conventional military superiority of NATO over Russia.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said on Monday that Putin wanted to bring the “old Soviet Union” back and that Europe had to defend itself against what he said were clear Russian intentions, set out, he said, in Russian state doctrines, to attack NATO.
“This is not true,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters when asked about Merz’s remarks. “Vladimir Putin does not want to restore the U.S.S.R. because it is impossible, and he himself has repeatedly said this.”
“To talk about it is not respectful to our partners,” Peskov said. “Apparently, Mr. Merz does not know this.”
“As for preparing for an attack on NATO, this is complete stupidity,” Peskov said.
With inputs from Reuters
Shivam Verma is a journalist with over three years of experience in digital newsrooms. He currently works at NewsX, having previously worked for Firstpost and DNA India. A postgraduate diploma holder in Integrated Journalism from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai, Shivam focuses on international affairs, diplomacy, defence, and politics. Beyond the newsroom, he is passionate about football—both playing and watching—and enjoys travelling to explore new places and cuisines.
