The Russian president’s comment comes as Kiev has halted oil supplies via the Druzhba pipeline, jeopardizing energy security in the bloc
© Sputnik/Kristina Solovyova
Russian President Vladimir Putin has likened the relationship between Ukraine and the European Union to “the tail wagging the dog,” saying that despite the aggressive behavior of the government in Kiev, Brussels keeps supporting it.
The
Ukrainian authorities are preventing vital Russian oil from reaching
Hungary and Slovakia via the Druzhba pipeline, which runs through
Ukraine, claiming it was damaged by Russian strikes – claims Moscow
rejects. Budapest and Bratislava have repeatedly accused Kiev of
blackmail. They also say Brussels has sided with Ukraine instead of
backing two EU member states.
“The situation is very strange,” Putin said on Sunday in an interview with Vesti. “I get the impression that we are dealing with a case where ‘the tail is wagging the dog’, and not the other way around.”
The
Russian president called the stance taken by Kiev dangerous and
aggressive. He stressed that Brussels is continuing to provide Ukraine
with endless support, both in weapons and financial aid.
Commenting
on the energy market, Putin emphasized that halting transit could
further undermine the energy security of EU member states, as happened
after the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines.
“Yet the EU prefers to continue the supply, effectively indulging the Kiev regime,” Putin added.
Putin criticized Western countries for the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, describing it as a “systemic mistake.”
The president said the conflict began with Western support for a coup
in Kiev, followed by the reunification of Crimea with Russia and unrest
in southeastern Ukraine, including Donbass and Novorossiya.
“These are not our actions,” Putin asserted, adding that European countries were now “reaping what they have sown.”