MOSCOW, August 1 (RIA Novosti) – On the eve of the First World War, Russia did everything possible to persuade Europe to resolve the conflict peacefully and to avoid bloodshed, which reflects the character of the state, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.
According to Putin, Russia has been advocating strong, cordial relations between countries for ages.
“And this is how it was on the eve of the First World War, when Russia went to great lengths to persuade Europe to settle the conflict between Serbia and Austria-Hungary peacefully. But [Europe] turned a deaf ear to Russian pleas. And it had to confront the challenge and protect the Slavic population, shielding its citizens from external threats,” Putin stressed.
The president added that Russia fulfilled its duty and succeeded in withstanding the onslaught.
“Russia was able to resist the onslaught and then take the offensive. And the whole world learnt about the legendary Brusilov Offensive. But Russia was robbed of this victory by those, who called for a defeat of their native land, of their army, by those who were fomenting strife and struggled for power, betraying national interests,” Putin said.
Putin made the statement at the opening ceremony of the memorial to the WWI Heroes in Moscow. Soon after that the Russian president laid red roses at the monument.
The memorial to the heroes of the First World War was erected on Poklonnaya Hill in Moscow’s Victory Park. The opening of the monument is one of the key events devoted to the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, which started on July 28, 1914 and lasted until November 11, 1918.
The war, which is considered one of the deadliest conflicts in history, took about 16 million lives.
