MOSCOW, June 1. /TASS/. Former Eastern Bloc countries, as well as Ukraine and the Baltic States, should be thankful to Russia for all it did for them, Russian State Duma (lower house of parliament) Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said on his Telegram channel on Tuesday.
"Ukraine, fearing that it will lose its revenue from the transit of Russian gas, demands a refund for the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline by Russia, the Czech Republic demands a compensation to the tune of 40 mln euro for the explosion at the Vrbetice arms depot allegedly carried out by Russian intelligence services, and the Baltic States are asking for some compensation for the Soviet era, [since they are] unable to sort out their own economic problems," the lawmaker wrote.
"When these countries formed the Eastern Bloc, they were used to living off others. They are still used to it. They would have kicked this habit if they had actually had sovereignty and independence, not just in word but in actual fact," Volodin said, noting that these states have chosen the path of being satellite countries.
Volodin noted that "it is impossible to receive money [from other states] and be independent." "It is not Russia that owes you, it is you who owe Russia. You should be grateful that Russian citizens did not demand that you hand over what was given to you by them," the politician stressed.
"An apology is in order here. We should begin to think about the future of our relations," the speaker said.
"Stop blaming Russia for all your problems. Start with yourselves. You have been building independent states for 30 years. Give us a break and give yourselves a break," he concluded.