Kremlin: Russia-NATO ties ‘have slipped to level of direct confrontation’
Russia says it is now in “direct confrontation” with NATO in Ukraine as the US-led Western military alliance marks its 75th anniversary.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that the alliance continues to perform functions that do not contribute to security but plays a destabilizing role.
“Relations have now slipped to the level of direct confrontation,” Peskov told reporters as NATO celebrated the anniversary at a meeting of its foreign ministers in Brussels.
He said NATO was “already involved in the conflict surrounding Ukraine (and) continues to move towards our borders and expand its military infrastructure towards our borders.”
President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly cautioned NATO against direct engagement in Ukraine, emphasizing that by supplying weapons and training to Kiev, the West effectively becomes a participant in the conflict.
Putin has also frequently stated that Russia was deceived by the West following the Cold War when Moscow's Warsaw Pact alliance was dissolved, while NATO expanded eastward by admitting former pact members and the three Baltic states that were once part of the Soviet Union.
Russia says its “special military operation” in Ukraine launched in February 2022 was an attempt to halt NATO from encroaching further towards the Russian borders.
In February, Putin said a direct conflict between Russia and NATO would mean the planet was one step away from World War Three.
Russia warns France against sending troops to Ukraine
In a rare call on Wednesday, Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu warned his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu against deploying troops to Ukraine.
Shoigu told Lecornu that if Paris follows up on its statements about the possibility of sending a French military contingent to Ukraine, “it will create problems for France itself,” according to a statement from the Russian Defense Ministry.
French President Emmanuel Macron had said in February that the potential deployment of Western forces to Ukraine should not be ruled out.
The Wednesday call was a first between the defense ministers of Russia and France since October 2022.
Shoigu highlighted Moscow's preparedness to engage in discussions regarding Ukraine, underscoring the futility of the scheduled peace negotiations in Geneva without Russia's participation.
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