MOSCOW, April 2. /TASS/. The West blames Russia for the collapse of colonialism around the world, but this process was inevitable, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with film director Emir Kusturica.

"These historical phobias are still there. Some still put the blame on Russia for someone’s loss of colonial power. They do not stop accusing us for helping the peoples of Africa, Latin America and Asia to find their feet and to fight for freedom. They think that Russia is to blame for the collapse of colonialism. This is not true at all," Putin said. "The Soviet Union accelerated this process, but it was inevitable."

"Africa, Latin America and Asia had long outgrown the principles of the colonial regime. People no longer wanted to be slaves. Yes, of course, the Soviet Union somehow stimulated it, pushed it, but these historical processes were inevitable, they were objective," the Russian leader concluded.