A Russian state TV guest has accused the United States of instigating a new world war in coordination with members of the NATO military alliance.
The Daily Beast's Julia Davis shared an excerpt of a broadcast on state TV channel Russia-1 on Friday which features Vladimir Solovyov, one of the most well-known figures in Kremlin-backed media, a political scientist and a former member of Russia's upper parliament, the State Duma, discussing the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
Kremlin propagandists have routinely warned of a looming world war. Ties between Washington and Moscow have become increasingly strained over Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Russian officials and guests on Russian state TV have called for strikes on U.S. soil and the West over aid and weapons provided by the Joe Biden administration and other NATO members to Kyiv.
The latest remarks were made by Elena Panina, a former member of the State Duma and member of the ruling United Russia party.
"We keep seeing it more and more clearly that the West, first and foremost, the United States, is preparing a big, very big world war," said Panina to fellow guests on the show, according to a translation provided by Davis' Russian Media Monitor.
"The United States is preparing a big world war through the NATO institutions," she repeated. "We should totally part with our naivety. Completely, all the way!"
Newsweek has contacted Russia's Foreign Ministry via email for comment.
"When a war is taking place in Ukraine, the U.S. media is trying not to cover it. For Americans, it's like a computer game. It's somewhere far away," said Panina.
"There are no sensitive issues for the U.S. itself. Perhaps we should start creating sensitive issues? We are confronted by the most brutal enemy! We are confronted by Satanism! We should keep going until victory!" she added.
Dmitry Kulikov, a political scientist, called on Russia to "confront" the United States.
"We will have to confront [the U.S.], they understand how deadly this situation is for them. In all of our actions and everything we're preparing for, we should plan on a long confrontation," he said.
On December 22, Sergei Ryabkov, Russia's deputy foreign minister in charge of ties with the U.S, non-proliferation and arms control, warned that diplomatic relations between Washington and Moscow could be severed should the Biden administration seize frozen Russian assets.
His remarks came shortly after The New York Times cited unidentified senior American and European officials as saying that the White House is quietly signaling new support for confiscating more than $300 billion in Russian central bank assets stashed in Western nations. The Biden administration, in coordination with G7 governments, is exploring whether it can use its existing authorities or if it should seek congressional action to use the funds, the publication reported.
Newsweek couldn't independently verify those reports and contacted the Biden administration for comment via email, but didn't receive a response.
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Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Isabel van Brugen is a Newsweek Reporter based in Kuala Lumpur. Her focus is reporting on the Russia-Ukraine war. Isabel ... Read more
