According to various media outlets, following the latest raft of sanctions levied against Russian banks, political figures and wealthy oligarchs due to the invasion of Ukraine President Vladimir Putin allegedly remarked that the West is an “Empire of Lies”. Putin’s increasingly erratic behavior and bellicose rhetoric toward the West combined with obviously implicit threats of nuclear retaliation have placed the world on a razor’s edge unseen since the height of the Cold War.
The Erratic Disdain of Putin
In full, Reuters reported,
“(Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin) and I discussed this topic, naturally bearing in mind the sanctions that the so-called Western community – as I called it in my speech, the ’empire of lies’ – is now trying to implement against our country,” a transcript of the meeting quoted Putin as saying.
It seems to be something of a schtick with him as he’s reused the line again and again. The India Times wrote, that he “raged against the West as he convened a meeting with officials including central bank chief Elvira Nabiullina and the CEO of Russia’s largest lender Sberbank, German Gref, to address what the Kremlin called a new “economic reality”.
“The Western community, which I called ‘the empire of lies’ in my speech, is trying to implement sanctions against our country,” he said.
The New York Times revealed that in a longer rambling tirade on February 24th the authoritarian KGB despot said,
“Nearly everywhere, in many regions of the world where the United States brought its law and order, this created bloody, unhealing wounds and the curse of international terrorism and extremism,” Mr. Putin said. America’s conduct across the globe was “con-artist behavior.”
He continued: “Therefore, one can say with good reason and confidence that the whole so-called Western bloc formed by the United States in its own image and likeness is, in its entirety, the very same ‘empire of lies.’”
Putin punctuated his “rambling speech full of festering historical grievances and accusations of a relentless Western plot against his country,” with a blood-curdling reminder that “Russia remains one of the most powerful nuclear states” with “a certain advantage in several cutting-edge weapons.” adding “there should be no doubt that any potential aggressor will face defeat and ominous consequences should it directly attack our country.” concluding: “All necessary decisions have been taken in this regard.”
