FORT DE BREGANCON, August 19. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on Europe to seek common goals, "which look unachievable today but may become inevitable tomorrow."
"As far as the outlook for creating a common Europe from Lisbon to Vladivostok is concerned, it is not our idea. General de Gaulle voiced it a while ago. He mentioned Europe lying between Lisbon and the Urals. But Russia stretches much farther, to the Pacific. This is a space of European culture. It is important to understand this. What really matters is different, though. Today this may look impossible. But what looks impossible today may become inevitable tomorrow," Putin said at a joint news conference with French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday.
He said that this cooperation is important not just for Russia, but for Europe as well "if it wants to preserve itself as a center of civilization."
"If we work together on it, we will approach solution to this problem sooner or later, in this or that form - the form is not important. The important thing is to choose the path and slowly move in the right direction in accordance with the current conditions," Putin noted.
He said that Russia does not reject any contracts with the Western countries, nor regards the possibility of restoring G8 with Moscow’s participation as a goal.