MOSCOW, December 14. /TASS/. Member states of the European Union have to a significant extent lost their independence and make decisions that are harmful to their our national interests, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at his combined Direct Line Q&A session and year-end press conference, responding to a question from TASS.

"The fact is that they [European countries] have to a large extent lost their sovereignty. We see it; they make many decisions to their own detriment, but they do it anyway," the head of state remarked.

Putin pointed out that, "many European politicians outwardly behave like General Charles de Gaulle, who fought for the interests of France by force of arms, gathering everything that the French had to resist the occupiers, but in practice [these political figures] act like Marshal Philippe Petain, who, although he was a hero of the First World War, was a collaborator during the Second World War and submitted to the will of the occupiers."

"Here, nearly everyone behaves like this. Except for a handful of people; there are [Slovak Prime Minister Robert] Fico, who came to the fore after [his recent] election; [Prime Minister] Viktor Orban in Hungary. I have said many times that these people are not pro-Russian politicians; they are pro-national, they protect their own [people’s] interests; but there aren’t any [other] such [political figures] anymore, they simply aren't there," the president said.