“And why did Ukraine suddenly become the“ heart of Europe ”?
It's just gossip.
If Ukraine is the center of the continent, then Austria or Germany, then what is its periphery? "
- quotes his words from the RIA Novosti Telegram channel.
Pushkov also said that "no one except Kiev demagogues" noticed how "the territory, called not so long ago by Ukraine, passed the historical path of Europe - through the creation of national states, through the Renaissance, reformation and other proper European processes."
In his opinion, Zelensky, speaking of Ukraine as the heart of Europe, "went completely overboard."
Earlier, the Ukrainian president said that Ukraine is the "center and heart" of Europe in terms of "geography, spirit and values."
In April, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Ruslan Khomchak called the Armed Forces of Ukraine "the shield of Europe."