Zakharova: NATO Ignores Russia’s Warnings, Fuels Tension at Its Borders
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The Russian Foreign Ministry warns NATO against inflaming tensions along the Russian borders.
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Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova
Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday that NATO is ignoring Moscow’s warnings and continues to ignite tension at the Russian borders.
"Russia warns NATO against fanning tension near the Russian borders. NATO keeps silent and continues," the top Russian diplomat wrote on her Telegram channel.
Zakharova also commented on the statement of the US embassy in Estonia about joint military drills in that country, saying, "The US diplomatic mission said that non-traditional methods of delivery were drilled during the exercise. I don’t even want to think about what they mean."
"In Pentagon’s military games, this country is nothing but a NATO stronghold at our borders. Such drills have no other goals," she added.
Zakharova went on to say that the fact that these drills took place just a few days after Tallinn and Washington signed another fuel supply agreement "only proves NATO's plans to deliberately create tension near Russia."
The Spokeswoman recalled that NATO frequently accuses Russia of "non-transparency of its actions" and "aggressive behavior," but US exercises in Estonia indicate the opposite.
"And now I want to know if NATO Secretary General [Jens] Stoltenberg thinks such actions to be transparent, predictable, and non-aggressive. If he thinks it is normal, then why should he have any claims to Russia’s domestic maneuvers, which cause so much concern for him?” she concluded.
On his account, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov slammed the US for inciting "hysteria" about a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, after Western countries accused Moscow of a troop buildup near the borders.
“Attempts to resolve the Ukrainian crisis by force will trigger serious consequences… Ukraine is most likely seeking another attempt to start solving its own problem by force, creating another disaster for itself and for everyone in Europe,” he added.
