He believed that the reason why Russia fell behind was because of its Asian roots .
In an attempt to bring Russia closer to the European civilization , Peter started to forget about the identity of the country , about its Eurasian roots .
Peter believed that the reason why Russia fell behind was because of Russia 's Asian roots .
In an attempt to bring Russia closer to the European civilization , Peter started to forget about the identity of the country , about its Eurasian roots .