Russian President Vladimir Putin claims that Russia maintains good relations with “ordinary people” in the West, citing the Austrians as an example, reports one of the most popular Russian news sites, Lenta.

Putin made the comments during a visit to the Lomonosov Technology Development Cluster at Vorobyov Gory State University in Moscow on Wednesday, with the Russian president saying that the opinion of ordinary people in the West does not change because of the political situation, for many of them it is possible to maintain good relations .

The head of the Kremlin emphasized the contacts with the Austrians in this regard.

“I know that they have a very friendly attitude towards our country, and despite any dramatic events that are happening in the world, their views on our country do not change, unlike the political elites in some countries, including European ones,” – he emphasized.

He also reminded that the Soviet Union acted as the guarantor of the Constitution of Austria, noting that many citizens of the country still thank Russia for this.

Austria is one of two countries in Central and Western Europe that is not a member of NATO, the other being Switzerland.

During his visit, Putin reiterated that the purpose of the “special military operation” he launched on February 24 last year was to “protect the people and Russia itself.”

Also, during a visit to Moscow University, Putin stated that Russia cannot allow threats to be created on “its own historical territories”, referring to Ukrainian territories, which it declared annexed in September 2022.

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