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‘Nothing but racism’: Putin hits out at Russophobia spreading around the world

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the DPR and the LPR, the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions signed treaties on their accession to Russia

MOSCOW, September 30. /TASS/. The spread of Russophobia is nothing but racism, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

"Present-day global Russophobia can be nothing but a manifestation of racism," Putin said, speaking during the ceremony of the signing of treaties on the accession of four new territories.

"The West's dogmatic belief that its civilization and neo-liberal culture is an unquestionable model for the whole world - ‘whoever is not with us is against us’ - is nothing but a manifestation of racism and it also sounds ridiculous," Putin said.

The Russian president noted that even when recognizing their own historical crimes the Western elites continue shifting the blame on the rest of the world "demanding from citizens of their countries and other nations to confess to something that they had never done before."

"The West should be reminded that it started its colonial politics back in the Middle Ages and it was followed by the global trade of slaves, the genocide of Indian tribes in America, the pillaging of India, Africa, as well as the wars of England and France against China, after which the West was forced to open its sea ports for opium trade," Putin said.

"What they were doing was getting entire peoples hooked on drugs, deliberately slaughtering entire ethnic groups for the sake of gaining the privilege over land and natural resources, hunting people like animals. It is contrary to the nature of human beings, truth, freedom and justice," the Russian president said.

From September 23 to September 27, the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) as well as the Kherson Region and the Zaporozhye Region held a referendum where the majority of voters opted to join Russia.

On Friday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the DPR and the LPR, the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions signed treaties on their accession to Russia. In his speech at the signing ceremony, Putin called on Kiev to immediately cease hostilities and return to the negotiating table.

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