Putin claims Russia pivotal in Belgian independence, sparking outcry

"Belgium - as you probably know - came onto the world map largely thanks to Russia, and Russia's stance helped Belgium become an independent state," Vladimir Putin declared at a meeting with participants of the World Festival of Youth in Sochi.

The statement made by Putin has widely reverberated in Belgian media, which have united in highlighting the Moscow leader's penchant for twisting historical facts.

"In reality, the role that the Russians are claimed to have played in our independence is quite different," assert Brussels' broadcasters and newspapers, outlining the true narrative of the Belgian revolution.

"When the Belgians rose against Dutch rule in 1830, Russia was actually on the Netherlands' side. The czar at the time wanted to dispatch troops to assist William I in quelling the rebellion, but was deterred by a concurrent uprising against the Russian Empire by the Poles. This detail seems to have been overlooked by Putin," summarized Het Laatste Nieuws (HLN).

"Attention, Belgium!" Anton Geraschenko called out on social media. The advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine shared a snippet of the recording from the meeting in Sochi, exposing "Putin's new geopolitical myth."

The comments about Belgium were not the sole controversial statements made by the Russian leader during the meeting with World Festival of Youth participants.

"I am confident that, sooner or later, a unification (of Russians and Ukrainians), at least on a spiritual level, is inevitable," Putin was quoted by the Russian government agency Tass.

Source: Het Laatste Nieuws, X, Tass