Russia must end ‘illusions’ about West – top Russian senator

Western nations only understand the language of force, Valentina Matvienko has said

It’s high time that Russia understood it can only communicate with the West from a position of power, the nation’s top senator, Valentina Matvienko, said in a statement on Sunday.

Moscow does not see Western nations as its traditional enemies, she argued, adding that the US and its allies will only listen to the language of force.

The West has always treated Russia as “something alien to its civilization,” Matvienko said in a lengthy statement published by the Russian Federation Council – the upper house of the national parliament. “Such a sentiment is deeply rooted in European society,” she said, adding that it cannot be just cast away.

The Western nations have embarked on a path of “fierce confrontation” with Moscow as they follow Washington in its attempts to preserve its global hegemony, the head of the Federation Council said. Russia has always been a major obstacle to the West’s claim to world domination, Matvienko said ahead of Russia Day – the national holiday marking the establishment of the modern Russian state.

Moscow has done “everything in its power and even more” to ensure its security and defend its legitimate national interests through peaceful means, the senator said. Russia’s only mistake was that it trusted the West too much and was not “tough” enough in its dealings with Washington and its allies, she believes.

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Modern Western leaders are obsessed with the idea of their civilization being chosen for some higher purpose and are adamant that they can make no mistake, Matvienko said. Such people are only capable of talking to their counterparts from a position of power and they understand only the language of force, she added.

“Most modern Western politicians and government officials do not even try to understand that the world is going through a major transformation and is nothing like it was some 20-25 years ago,” the Russian senator said, pointing to a “deep crisis of the liberal ideology” that has hit both Western nations and the world as a whole. Western governments are the ones violating the democratic principles in their own nations and beyond their borders, Matvienko said, adding that the US and its allies continue to falsely claim to be the major defenders of democracy in the world.

Russia needs to become stronger in the fields of security, economy and technology, she continued, warning that the nation will face some “major challenges” in the future. She also said Russia’s message in the international arena – about respecting every nation’s sovereignty as well as cooperating based on equality and security for everyone – resonates with many nations around the world.