Russian President Vladimir Putin said tensions between Moscow and Western nations are fundamentally driven by geopolitical rivalry rather than the ideological divide that characterised the Soviet era. In excerpts of an interview with state television journalist Pavel Zarubin released on Sunday, Putin argued that Western governments have consistently sought strategic advantage over Russia since the USSR’s collapse. Putin stated that the West maintained a “disregard” for Russia’s national interests after 1991, rejecting proposals from Moscow on issues such as strategic offensive weapons. He added that it became clear Russia would not be treated as an equal until it asserted itself as “a sovereign state capable of defending its future”. The president also criticised NATO’s post-Cold War eastward expansion, saying earlier assurances that the alliance would not enlarge “one inch” were ignored. According to Putin, these moves underscored that geopolitical calculations, rather than ideology, remain at the heart of Russia’s discord with the West.