On the 80th anniversary of the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, Russian President Vladimir Putin wrote an article for the German newspaper Zeit, "To be open in spite of the past. In it, Putin discusses how international relations have developed since the war and what lessons the world should learn from it.
The article, which was posted on the website of the Kremlin on June 22, the Day of Memory and Mourning, begins with a reference to the attempts by Russia's increasingly frequent attempts by the West to rewrite the history of World War II. As the president stresses, "the truth is that the Soviet soldier came to the land of Germany not to take revenge on the Germans, but with a noble, great mission of liberator."
He recalled that the Red Army and toilers on the home front not only defended the independence of their native country, but also saved Europe and the world from enslavement.
"For us the memory of the heroes who fought against Nazism is sacred. We remember with gratitude our allies in the anti-Hitler coalition, the participants of the Resistance, the German anti-fascists who brought the common victory closer," the president writes.
Then he speculates on how international relations developed later. According to him, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia sought to develop its relations with Europeans in the logic of building a Greater Europe united by common values and interests. Both the Russian Federation and the European Union did a lot on this path, the president admitted.
"But a different approach prevailed. It was based on the expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance, which itself was a relic of the Cold War. After all, it was created for the confrontation of that time," noted the head of state.
He referred to the bloc's movement to the East as the main reason for the rapid growth of mutual distrust in Europe, which began when the Soviet leadership was practically persuaded to accept the membership of united Germany in NATO. According to the Russian leader, promises that "it is not directed against you" and that "the bloc's borders will not come near you" were quickly forgotten.
Hopes of a continent without dividing lines were buried after 14 new countries, including republics of the former Soviet Union, joined the organization, Putin said.
He also argues that some countries were given an ultimatum: Be either with the collective West or with Russia. According to him, the Ukrainian tragedy of 2014 was the consequence of this approach. As the president noted, Europe actively supported the anti-constitutional armed coup in Ukraine when then-President Viktor Yanukovych had already agreed to all the demands of the opposition.
Putin is convinced that the entire European security system has severely degraded and the risks of a new arms race are becoming real, although cooperation would open enormous opportunities.
As the president is convinced, the continent's prosperity and security are possible only through the joint efforts of all countries, including Russia. This, he said, is confirmed by the entire post-war history of Greater Europe.
The Russian leader reminded that Russia is open to fair creative cooperation, which is confirmed by the idea of creating a single space for cooperation and security from Atlantic to Pacific Ocean. According to the idea, it could include different integration formats, such as the EU and the Eurasian Economic Union.
"Let me repeat once again: Russia is in favor of restoring a comprehensive partnership with Europe. We have many topics of mutual interest. These are security and strategic stability, health and education, digitalization, energy, culture, science and technology, and solving climate and environmental problems," the president stressed.
Press secretary of the head of state Dmitry Peskov explained Putin's decision to publish the article in the German media by the fact that this topic is very important for Germany, which became the first victim of Nazism.
80 years ago, on June 22, 1941, the Great Patriotic War began. Nazi Germany attacked the Soviet Union without a declaration of war. In 2007, the Day of Memory and Mourning (June 22) was included by law in the list of memorial dates.
Last year, May 9 was marked by another round date - the 75th anniversary of the victory of the USSR over Nazi Germany. Putin then published an article titled "75 Years of the Great Victory: Shared Responsibility to History and the Future." On June 18 last year it was published by the National Interest magazine in English, and on June 19 it appeared on the website of the Kremlin and in the Rossiyskaya Gazeta newspaper in Russian. The president devoted part of the publication to the lessons of the war and issues of international cooperation.
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