MOSCOW, January 23. /TASS/. At present, Russia is playing a key role in preserving and promoting cultural and spiritual values, while the United States has done little to nothing in this space, Federation Council Deputy Speaker Konstantin Kosachev said.

Addressing a roundtable on Russia’s role in the international humanitarian sphere, the senior Russian senator questioned how the United States could make an impact here at all, as its history only goes back to the 18th century.

Moreover, the Americans and their Western partners have always promoted their values "either through Crusades or in the form of massacres or assimilation of those people who were subject to the promotion of Western cultural or spiritual values," the lawmaker insisted.

"In this sense, as a nation and a civilization, Russia is a unique phenomenon in world history, as, among the very few other nations and peoples, we can discuss the key role our country is playing in the global humanitarian space and in preserving and promoting cultural and spiritual values," the politician said. "And, of course, we can rightly be proud of that," he concluded.