Photo: Sergey Bobylev/TASS
On Monday, 9 June, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reacted sharply to the plans of future NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte to strengthen the air and missile defence of the Alliance member states. This was reported by AFP and Reuters.
“NATO, having thrown off its mask, is demonstrating its true nature – an instrument of aggression and confrontation,” Peskov said during his daily briefing in Moscow.
This is how he commented on Rutte’s intention, voiced in London, to call on the Allies to increase investment in air and missile defence by 400%. This initiative will be a key topic at the NATO Summit in The Hague, scheduled for 24-25 June.
According to Reuters, Rutte is also in favour of increasing the defence budget to 3.5% of GDP and another 1.5% for broader security needs – that is, up to 5% in total, to meet US demands.
Peskov said that such a plan would “hit European taxpayers” and bring “escalation instead of security”.
Expansion of the front? Commentary on the Dnipropetrovs’k region
During the briefing, the spokesperson was also asked about reports of Russian troops advancing towards the Dnipro region. Ukraine denied these reports, but Peskov said:
“Without a doubt, one of the goals is to create a buffer zone.”
Prisoner exchanges and body repatriation
Regarding the discussion of new agreements on the exchange of prisoners of war, Peskov confirmed that Russia is “ready to comply” with the agreements, but accused Kyiv of disruption. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine has not yet received a full list of persons to be transferred.
