Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova made a joke about Alaska during a conversation with CNN correspondent Fredkrik Pleitgen about the situation in Ukraine. This happened on June 15 during a briefing at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF).
The journalist asked Zakharova whether Russian President Vladimir Putin’s words about Peter the Great and the return of Russian lands violated international law. In response, the diplomat recalled precedents in Kosovo, the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the illegal entry of U.S. troops into Syria.
“Ask the [U.S.] State Department with the same pathos,” she said.
Zakharova also pointed out that the Western media has not paid attention to the events that have been taking place in Donbass for eight years.
“I finally understood why the CNN representative is so worried. I couldn’t understand about the historical lands. Are you talking about Alaska or something?” – she said with irony.
On June 9, the Russian leader compared the current era to the times of Peter the Great. According to him, it fell to modern Russia to “return and strengthen” as it did during the reign of Peter. Putin stressed that during the Great Northern War Peter I did not seize anything from Sweden, and returned the original Russian land. Thus, the head of the state said that where St. Petersburg was founded, along with the Finno-Ugric peoples, the Slavs had lived for centuries, and the territory had been under the control of the Russian state.
Alaska was part of Russia until 1867, after which it was sold to the United States as a result of a deal between the countries.