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Putin lambasts US, Europe for putting excessive pressure on Russia
"We reject the practice of 'collective punishment' for acts perpetrated by individual people, which has recently become a frequent occurrence," Putin said in a recent interview with the official China Global Television Network.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin (L) shakes hands with US President Joe Biden prior to the US-Russia summit at the Villa La Grange, in Geneva on June 16, 2021. (AFP/Brendan Smialowski)
R
ussian President Vladimir Putin has lambasted the United States and its European allies for putting excessive pressure on Moscow over issues related to Ukraine and doping, Chinese state-run media reported Thursday.
"We reject the practice of 'collective punishment' for acts perpetrated by individual people, which has recently become a frequent occurrence," Putin said in a recent interview with the official China Global Television Network.
Putin was apparently referring to a ban on Russia from the Olympics over doping violations and Washington's warning that it could personally sanction the Russian leader if Moscow invades Ukraine.
His remarks came as US-Russia tensions are running high over Moscow's massive military buildup on the Ukrainian border, while he has demanded that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization pull back troops and weapons from Eastern Europe.
On Wednesday, Washington announced plans to deploy thousands of additional troops to Europe in the coming days to reassure its allies in the region amid fears Russia may further invade Ukraine, a move that triggered a backlash from Moscow.
Putin is scheduled to visit China to attend Friday's opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics. During his stay, he is also slated to hold summit talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Putin said in the interview, "We oppose the attempts to politicize sport or use it as a tool of coercion, unfair competition and discrimination," apparently criticizing a diplomatic boycott initiated by the United States and other democratic countries over China's human rights issues.
He also said, "Sport is a unique phenomenon of human civilization. Major sports festivals are designed to bring nations together, deepen mutual understanding and promote the universally accepted principle of 'fair play.'"
As Russian athletes will take part in the Beijing Games under a neutral flag as a result of their country's state-sponsored doping scheme, Putin said his nation "will advocate broad international cooperation in the fight against doping in sport."
In a signed article published by China's state-run Xinhua News Agency, meanwhile, Putin said he will talk with Xi about "key issues on the bilateral, regional and global agendas," indicating Moscow would seek Beijing's support over affairs surrounding Ukraine.
China and the Soviet Union, Russia's predecessor state, were competitors during the Cold War. They were at odds over interpretations and practical applications of Marxism-Leninism, the ideology of 20th-century communism.
The two countries, however, have been deepening their cooperation lately, as their relations with the United States have deteriorated.
