Former Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that if Russia had been accepted into the European Union (EU) at an accelerated pace in the 1990s, today the country would have lost its sovereignty and deprived of valuable resources. His words were quoted by the TV channel "Russia 24". and delivered by Focus.
He opined that by joining the political association "the resources and natural wealth we have would have already been largely distributed and wasted".
Previously, in an interview with the same TV channel, Shoigu stated that Russia will not conduct any negotiations with Ukraine while Ukrainian troops are on the territory of the Kursk region. He also noted that none of the initiatives for a peaceful resolution of the conflict take into account the problem of guaranteeing the rights of Russian-speaking residents.
The former defense minister also emphasized that "Ukraine's desire to commit nuclear terror at the Kursk NPP is the highest level of terrorism". He also recalled the words of the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, that Moscow has not negotiated, is not negotiating and will not negotiate "with terrorists".