Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that Russia itself bears responsibility for the collapse of the Soviet Union and cannot make claims to external forces regarding the situation in Ukraine, Moldova and Armenia, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Nobody tore anything off. We ourselves dissolved the Soviet Union at one time. They did it themselves. It's like a divorce. The couple separated, and one said: you will live by my rules. It doesn't happen that way. And you need to treat this as a given. We must understand that these are sovereign states, they have the right to pursue their own policies, and we must treat this with respect. There will be no other way to build any relations,” Putin said.
At the same time, he noted that in relations with the former Soviet republics, Russia must protect its interests, “and not throw money around.”