Russia reacts furiously to Blinken jibe over troops in Kazakhstan

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks in the State Department meeting room in Washington, US on January 7, 2022. Andrew Harnik / Pool via REUTERS / File Photo

MOSCOW, Jan. 8 (Reuters) – Russia angrily responded on Saturday to a comment by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken that Kazakhstan could have a difficult time getting rid of Russian troops and said it should reflect on military meddling. American worldwide.

Blinken on Friday challenged Russia’s justification for sending forces to Kazakhstan after days of violent unrest in the Central Asian country.

“A lesson from recent history is that once the Russians are home, it is sometimes very difficult to make them leave,” Blinken said. read more

The Russian Foreign Ministry called Blinken’s comment “typically offensive” and accused him of joking about the tragic events in Kazakhstan. He said Washington should look at its own history of interventions in countries like Vietnam and Iraq.

“If Antony Blinken loves history lessons, then the following should be kept in mind: when Americans are at home, it can be difficult to stay alive and not be robbed or raped,” the ministry said on its network channel. social Telegram. .

“We are taught this not only by the recent past, but by the 300 years of American statehood.”

The ministry said the deployment to Kazakhstan was a legitimate response to Kazakhstan’s request for support from the Collective Security Treaty Organization, an alliance of former Soviet states that includes Russia.

Kazakhstan’s intervention comes at a time of high tension in Moscow’s relations with Washington as the two countries prepare for talks on the Ukraine crisis starting Monday. read more

Moscow has deployed large numbers of troops near its border with Ukraine, but denies Western suggestions that it plans to invade.

Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Edited by Mark Trevelyan and Timothy Heritage

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