State Department spokesman Ned Price said the US does not see the inclusion of new states in NATO as contrary to the promise not to expand eastward. His words lead TASS…
He stressed that the alliance has the right to accept new members and pursues only defensive goals, its door is always open. “The idea that NATO, or aspirants for membership like Ukraine, could pose a threat to Russia is laughable if the situation weren’t so serious,” Price added.
According to him, the United States welcomes Ukraine’s right to determine its future in the context of NATO membership. The spokesman noted that in this regard, Russia and its alleged attempt to “fabricate an excuse for the Russian military to do what has long been planned” is of concern.
Earlier, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova said that Ukraine’s entry into NATO would become a “red line” for Moscow. The diplomat noted that drawing Kiev into the military orbit of the alliance, the de facto beginning of NATO’s assimilation of the military infrastructure of this country, the desire to turn it into a springboard for confrontation with Russia are fraught with serious negative consequences.
On December 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin called on the North Atlantic Alliance to provide guarantees of non-expansion to the borders of Russia. Speaking at a collegium of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on November 18, he said that Russia is a peace-loving state that wants to create “an atmosphere of good-neighborliness and partnership in the post-Soviet space.” However, the president expressed confidence that NATO, on the contrary, is set for an active confrontation with Moscow.
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