Matviyenko warned of US intention to inflict a strategic defeat on Europe

TheUnited States may deal a strategic blow to Europe because Washington does not need it as a competitor. Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko told reporters on December 24.

"If you remember 2014, when they had just imposed tough sanctions against Russia, against Crimea, Sevastopol, I said then that Europe would be next. They are now warming up on us, and Europe will be next in their attempts to inflict a strategic defeat, because the United States of America does not need a strong Europe as a competitor," Matvienko said.

She also noted that the United States is considering Europe for subjugation, both politically and militarily ecumenically.

Tried and true: how the West reacts to Russian Federation's warning

The world split into two camps after Vladimir Putin's speech and the Russian army's response

Earlier, on December 4, Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a plenary session of the VTB forum "Russia Calling!" that Western countries behaved as unreliable partners and tried to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, including in the economic direction.

The day before, on December 3, Putin pointed out that the United States and Europe understood strategic defeat of Russia to mean the destruction of the country, which has repeatedly faced such attempts by Western countries throughout its history.