Moscow is categorically against NATO expansion to the East, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday, February 8, at a press conference following talks in the Kremlin with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
According to the Russian leader, this position is due to the fact that the further spread of the alliance to the borders of the Russian Federation poses a threat, since “we are not moving towards NATO, but NATO is moving towards us.”
“Therefore, to say that Russia is aggressive is at least not consistent with sound logic,” he stressed.
Putin also noted that in the event of a military conflict between Russia and NATO, there will be no winners.
“I spoke, but I would very much like you to finally hear me and convey this to your readers, viewers and users on the Internet: do you understand or not that if Ukraine joins NATO and returns Crimea by military means, European countries will automatically be drawn into a military conflict with Russia?” the president said.
In turn, the French President announced that he intends to discuss with the Ukrainian authorities Russia’s proposals on security guarantees.
The talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron began on Monday evening in the Kremlin and lasted more than five hours. Putin emphasized the development by France of principled decisions on security issues. The French president also pointed out the importance of dialogue with the Russian Federation for security in Europe.
After meeting with the Russian President, the French leader intends to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kiev on February 8.
The United States and a number of European countries have recently expressed concern over the alleged increase in Russia’s “aggressive actions” against Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly denied such accusations, saying that it does not threaten anyone, and such statements are used as an excuse to place as much NATO military equipment as possible near the borders of the Russian Federation.
On January 28, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia was not going to start a war with Ukraine, and Western countries and the United States were “hysterically” developing the topic of a threat to Ukraine from the Russian Federation instead of forcing Ukraine to comply with the Minsk agreements.
Source: IZ
Jane Stock is a technology author, who has written for 24 Hours World. She writes about the latest in technology news and trends, and is always on the lookout for new and innovative ways to improve his audience’s experience.
