Moscow, July 29 (RHC)-- European nations used to be colonial overlords but now they’ve become colonial underlings of the United States, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova has stated.  The senior diplomat brought up Europe’s colonialist past, speaking exclusively to RT on Friday on the sidelines of the Russia-Africa summit in St. Petersburg.  Colonialism, she stated, is in the bones of Western civilization.

“For centuries the Western world formed around one simple and terrifying thought: that they are exceptional because they are strong,” she said.  “They have no need to justify anything.  They must simply reap the benefits of aggressive exploitation of the planet.  That is their collective reasoning.”

The U.S. subjugation of North America and other lands followed the same colonialist pattern, the Russian official added.  However, the decolonization process has significantly progressed and now former European colonies in Africa, Asia and Latin America not only have formal attributes of statehood, but also have the strength and courage to pursue sovereign policies, Zakharova said.  And African leaders came to the forum in Russia in defiance of Western pressure and threats, she pointed out.

While former colonies are defending their independence, some of their former European overlords went in the opposite direction, Zakharova claimed.  Members of the EU “have lost their sovereignty and subjected themselves to the will of Washington and, to some extent … London.”  “They truly became colonies, colonies of the U.S.  This community of colonies is named NATO,” she said.

Zakharova went on to say that the U.S. is now willing to drive even more nations into this “community of colonies.”  Western Europe is no longer enough for Washington, “they have already set their sights on Asia and other regions,” the diplomat added.  “Everyone understands this very well.” 

Moscow has long perceived the bloc’s eastward expansion as a major threat to its national security.  Senior officials, including President Vladimir Putin, have repeatedly cited Ukraine’s NATO aspirations as one of the factors that led to Russia’s escalation of a years-long conflict to military action against its neighbor.