Putin: "The Europe We Loved is Disappearing"

Russian President Vladimir Putin considers the European Union a territory with "enormous potential," but also a center of civilization that is currently in "decline." In his opinion, this phenomenon is not solely due to the bloc's economic stagnation and underlying problems.

"The problem is that these fundamental aspects related to European identity are disappearing. That is the crux of the matter. The erosion is happening from within. Uncontrolled migration is corroding it from within," he expressed this Thursday at the XXII International Valdai Discussion Forum.

He warned that if the deterioration of guidelines and the value base continues, Europe will keep deteriorating and "will gradually shrink and disappear."

"The value base must remain. If it does not exist, if it disappears, then the Europe we so loved will disappear," Putin commented. In that sense, he emphasized that even those within Russia who are inclined to believe that the country should have a more Western-oriented view have confessed to him that "the Europe we so loved no longer exists."

All is Not Lost

The president believes that if sovereignty is lost, "everything falls apart." In this context, he spoke of the European need to prioritize national interests to stay afloat; something that, according to him, few within the continent are betting on. However, he highlighted that right now, "political factions oriented towards the national are gaining strength."

"If these forces continue to gain momentum, then Europe will be reborn. But that does not depend on us, but on Europe itself," he concluded.