Putin advises Europe "to be more independent"

Putin advises Europe "to be more independent"

Asked about the possibility of a war breaking out in Europe, he said he “hopes” another war is not in the cards.

According to the Beta agency that quoted AFP, when speaking about France and its ties with NATO, Putin said, "in order to speak about our mutual business with our European partners, we must go to Washington, which is a little strange."

He said that the "revival" of the arms race came because of the United States and dated back to that country's unilateral withdrawal from the ballistic missiles agreement, which he described as a cornerstone of the international system of security.

Commenting on the corruption scandal in FIFA that was made public by the U.S., Putin accused Washington of working in its own interest, according to the Beta report.

RT quoted him as "questioning whether the efforts to pursue the investigation stemmed from failed attempts of the U.S. and its key ally, the UK, to secure bids to host the 2022 and 2018 World Cups," and saying: “The way this fight against corruption looks makes me wonder if it isn’t a continuation of the bids for 2018 and 2022.”

“If someone is suspected for committing a crime, then evidence is collected and transferred to a prosecutor of the country the alleged person resides in. But this is in no way connected to one country - big or small - going around the world, dragging to jail individuals that it wants," the Russian president said.

The U.S. launched legal proceedings against seven top FIFA officials and on this country's request they were arrested in Switzerland in May.

Putin also commented on the rise of right-wing parties in Europe, "some of which support his policy," to say there was "a tectonic shift in Europeans’ public conscience in the direction of protecting national interests, including from foreign political interventions."