He was trying today to denounce a U.S. plan to deploy an anti-missile shield in eastern Europe.
And then came this howler: "Mr. Putin, who criticized American plans for additional sanctions against Iran on Thursday, spoke again today about Russia’s objections to an American antimissile system to be deployed near Russia’s borders in Poland and the Czech Republic.
“Analogous actions by the Soviet Union, when it deployed rockets on Cuba, provoked the Cuban missile crisis,” Mr. Putin said. “Thank God, we do not have any Cuban missile crisis now, and this is above all because of the fundamental way relations between Russia and the United States and Europe have changed.”
Er, no, Mr. Putin. We don't, and shouldn't, have any missile crisis now between our two countries because there is no analogy to the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the proposed American plan.
The Soviet Union in 1962 sought to place offensive nuclear weapons in Cuba.
Meanwhile, in eastern Europe, the U.S. seeks to place an anti-missile shield, which of course would have no capability to engage in offensive actions vs Russia.
Can he really not see the difference???
If you read the rest of the article, you'll see that fortunately Sean McCormack, of the U.S. State Department, fortunately can see the difference, and pointed it out.
