MOSCOW, November 12. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting in the Kremlin with US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, illustrated the EU's contradictory position on Ukraine with a joke about a crook and his wife and leaving money lying around.
He pointed out that Moscow has repeatedly said that deploying foreign troops to Ukraine is unacceptable, yet the EU states that it will send its contingent there after the conflict ends anyway. And this means, Putin said, that the war will immediately resume. Furthermore, Brussels does not want to discuss security in Europe as a whole now, agreeing to do so only after peace is established in Ukraine.
"But after peace is established in Ukraine, they are going to send troops, and that means continuing the war. Back to square one," Putin said.
"We have a very old joke on this subject. Given what we have today, I think it's apt. Let’s say some crook who built some cottages near Kiev was summoned to the investigative authorities, to the NABU, for example. They ask him: 'Where did you get the money?' He replies: 'In the nightstand.' 'Okay, and who put the money in the nightstand?' 'My wife.’ 'And where did your wife get it from?' 'I gave it to her.' 'And where did you get it from?' 'From the nightstand.' Full circle. It’s the same with the Europeans," Putin said giving his view of the situation.