Ever since Russian President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale attack on Ukraine in February 2022, he has enjoyed the undying loyalty of a certain ally. Vladimir Solovyov, the host of a Russian state TV show called Russia 1, has repeatedly spoken out in support of Putin and Russia as the war in Ukraine rages on.
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Despite rumours that Putin has suffered a cardiac arrest and died, Solovyov remains a concrete ally. The TV host has repeatedly threatened Germany, given the country’s persistent support of Ukraine, and has threatened nuclear warfare on more than one occasion. Now, he has come out with a new outlandish desire for Russia to invade Portugal. Here’s what he said, and what this would mean for the rest of NATO.
What Solovyov said
A video clip of the exchange was posted by Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, on X. In it, as per Gerashchenko’s translation, the TV host talks about Lisbon, the capital of Portugal, and said ‘there's a reason’ why the country should be a part of Moscow.
When questioned by the other panellists, he laughed and responded with:
You don't need it but I like it very much.
You have to start somewhere, I'd even choose Hawaii. I'm not a military man, but, I reason the way I was taught by outstanding Soviet military commanders, you have to go for natural obstacles.
He added that ‘the Portuguese would live just fine as part of the Russian empire’.
What this would mean for the rest of NATO
Portugal was one of the founding members of NATO. As Newsweek points out:
many Western countries have continued to warn Moscow against engaging with the military bloc's allies amid its conflict with Ukraine when Putin invaded the Eastern European country in February 2022
Indeed, if Russia were to go ‘from sea to sea’ and attack Portugal, this would implicate all other members of NATO. As their website states:
Article 5 provides that if a NATO Ally is the victim of an armed attack, each and every other member of the Alliance will consider this act of violence as an armed attack against all members and will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the Ally attacked.
For now, this move is only a threat from a Kremlin mouthpiece. Were it to actually happen, it could spark a conflict between all the NATO members and Russia.
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Sources used:
Newsweek: Putin Ally Wants to Make NATO Member Part of Russia
