Russian 'historian' Medinsky quoted a fake Napoleon statement after Ukraine talks
Vladimir Medinsky, aide to the Russian President (Getty Images)
Vladimir Medinsky, head of the Russian delegation in talks with Ukraine, tried to justify why a ceasefire isn't needed for negotiations by citing a fake Napoleon quote, as noted by Important Stories (IStories).
In an interview with propagandist Yevgeny Popov, Vladimir Medinsky began blaming the West for various wars. According to his version of events, Western countries allegedly interfered in one of the Russo-Turkish wars and "disrupted" agreements between the two nations.
"Then came the new Balkan wars — that was 1912–1913 — and eventually World War I broke out, a direct consequence of Western interference," Medinsky claimed, indulging in historical fantasy.
He accused politicians who demand a ceasefire before negotiations between Ukraine and Russia of "a complete lack of historical knowledge."
"As a rule — as Napoleon used to say — war and negotiations happen at the same time," Medinsky added.
The phrase "war and negotiations happen at the same time" is often attributed to Napoleon, but there is no direct evidence he actually said it. At best, it reflects a general interpretation of his approach.
A bit later, the head of the Russian delegation began explaining why Ukraine should hand over its own territories to Russia — including some that are not even under Russian military control. To justify this, he invoked yet another fake quote — this time from German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck.
"He (Bismarck) always said: 'Never try to deceive the Russians or steal from them, because time will pass, and sooner or later the Russians always come for what's theirs,'" Medinsky claimed.
Notably, this quote is also commonly attributed to Bismarck, but there is no historical evidence that he ever said or wrote it. In fact, this is acknowledged even on the website of the Russian Military Historical Society — an organization founded by Medinsky himself.
Medinsky presents himself as a historian. However, his historical claims are often distorted or pseudoscientific.
Threats from the Russian delegation
Today, May 16, Ukrainian and Russian officials met in Istanbul to discuss possible paths toward ending the war.
According to The Economist, during the negotiations, the Russian delegation issued threats that the Russian army could capture Ukraine's Sumy and Kharkiv regions.
At the same time, the Russian side refused to agree to a ceasefire without additional conditions. They are demanding that Ukrainian forces withdraw from four regions.
