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The now-politician even claimed, that Europe would have to apologise to the Russians.
A senior Russian lawmaker has suggested European governments could face humiliating choices if the Kremlin emerges from the Ukraine war in a stronger position.
His remarks surfaced as diplomatic attention turned to a revised US peace proposal and new disclosures about behind-the-scenes contacts.
The build-up
Bloomberg reported on Tuesday that leaked audio captured Donald Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, advising top Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov on how to shape a Ukraine proposal similar to the Gaza ceasefire model.
The publication of the recordings added pressure to a process already in motion after Trump said the peace framework drafted last week had been “fine-tuned, with additional input from both sides.”
According to Trump, the original 28-point outline had been pared down to 19 points. Witkoff is expected in Moscow next week for further talks.
It was against this backdrop that former Colonal general, Andrey Kartapolov, now head of the State Duma’s Defense Committee, appeared on the Russian state programme “The Great Game.”
U.S. looking for a way out
According to The Express, the host, Russian-American commentator Dimitri Simes, referenced US political reactions, telling viewers that “Rubio said that it can’t be discussed without Russia either,” noting that President Vladimir Putin had described the leaked American document as consistent with earlier discussions in Anchorage.
Simes then asked Kartapolov: “General […] how do we deal with this?”
Kartapolov argued that Washington was seeking a way out. “They clearly understand that they need to get out of this situation,” he said, warning that the conflict could “risk the existence of the US, if things progress to World War 3.”
European leaders “will have to fall on their knees”
He claimed American officials were acting out of self-protection, not sympathy for Ukraine or Russia.
Europe, he added, feared “like fire that Russia will win and reach the Western borders of Ukraine.”
If that happened, he said, European leaders “will have to fall on their knees and apologise to us,” restore energy ties, scale back NATO deployments and see many officials “leave their posts.”
Sources: The Express, Bloomberg, BankingNews, Wikipedia, The Great Game tv-show
