Russian state TV host and close Putin ally, Vladimir Solovyov, has sparked outrage with his latest remarks suggesting Moscow could invade Europe and push “all the way to Lisbon.” His comments came in response to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s warning that America’s enemies would be “crushed” by the full force of the US military.
Solovyov also referenced former President Donald Trump, claiming that Trump was frustrated his “good” relationship with Vladimir Putin had not brought an end to the war in Ukraine. The Kremlin propagandist insisted that while relations between the two leaders might be “excellent,” the West had ignored Russia’s repeated warnings over NATO expansion and Ukraine’s ambitions to join the alliance.
Justifying Moscow’s aggression, Solovyov claimed Russia never intended to capture Kyiv, insisting:
“We could have simply destroyed everything. We had a different objective. I think we should go all the way to Lisbon… There are 500 million of them (Europeans) and 140 million of us. We can go all the way there, but how do we hold it? Over scorched Earth? After nuclear strikes? That’s one option.”
His fiery remarks echo the Kremlin’s longstanding attempts to frame its invasion of Ukraine as a defensive move against NATO, even as Russia has escalated threats of nuclear weapons use.
Solovyov went further, questioning America’s military record and bizarrely claiming the United States owed its WWII victory entirely to the Soviet Union:
“When were your last victories? Without us, you had zero chances. We won. You were simply next to us.”
These extreme statements, translated by Russian Media Monitor, are not official Russian policy but highlight the aggressive rhetoric broadcast to millions of viewers on Russian state TV.
Since the start of the war, Putin himself has issued nuclear threats against the West, putting Russia’s command systems on high alert and lowering the threshold for nuclear weapons use. Western analysts, including Chatham House, have warned that while a nuclear strike against the US or UK would mean “the end of Russia,” the risk of escalation remains a serious concern.
Trump, who met Putin in Alaska earlier this year in hopes of brokering peace, admitted afterward that his Russian counterpart had “let him down,” as the war rages on with no end in sight.
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