Former Russian President and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev accused the West of trying to dismantle Russia and warned that Moscow might have to put the United States in its "place."
Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy secretary of Russia's Security Council, accused the U.S. of fomenting "disgusting" Russophobia in order to weaken Russia.
"It will not work – Russia has the might to put all of our brash enemies in their place," Medvedev warned on Thursday.
According to Reuters, Russian President Vladimir Putin argued that the military operation in Ukraine was essential because Russia was under threat from the U.S. through Ukraine. Putin also insisted that Russia had to fight back against the alleged "genocide" of Russian-speaking people by Ukraine.
Ukraine, however, dismissed Putin's allegations of genocide as nonsense. The West also refuted Putin's claims that the U.S. wants to tear Russia apart.
Since Russian troops invaded Ukraine last month, the U.S. and its European and Asian allies have attempted to cut Russia off from the global economy through sanctions.
Yet Russia contended that it can fare well regardless of the sanctions and that it will develop ties with other countries, such as China, as they try to sever ties with the West.
On Friday, President Joe Biden spoke with China's President Xi Jinping to see where China stands on the Russia-Ukraine war. According to White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, Biden planned to ask Xi about Beijing's "rhetorical support" of Putin and "absence of denunciation" of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"This is an opportunity to assess where President Xi stands," Psaki said, The Associated Press reports.
Meanwhile, China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian contended that China "has called for every effort to avoid civilian casualties all the time."
"Which do the civilians in Ukraine need more: food and sleeping bags or machine guns and artillery? It's easy to answer," he told reporters at a daily briefing on Friday.
China has often been criticized for its human rights abuses against ethnic minorities, such as Uyghur Muslims, its efforts to crack down on pro-democracy advocates Hong Kong, and military threats against Taiwan.
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Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/ffikretow
Milton Quintanilla is a freelance writer and content creator. He is a contributing writer for CrosswalkHeadlines and the host of the For Your Soul Podcast, a podcast devoted to sound doctrine and biblical truth. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary.
