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Relations between Russia and NATO are at their lowest level since the end of the Cold War, Russian Foreign Ministry senior official Vladislav Maslennikov told Izvestia, quoted by TASS.
Russian accusations and statements
Maslennikov emphasised that NATO has deliberately chosen a course of countering Russia, stating:
“The alliance seeks to contain us by justifying it with a fictitious threat that we supposedly pose.”
The diplomat also stressed that Russia has never sought to aggravate relations with the Alliance and has no plans to attack NATO member states:
“The responsibility for the degradation of relations lies entirely with NATO. We have no aggressive plans”.
According to Maslennikov, contacts between the parties have been reduced to a minimum, leaving only hotlines for emergency communication. At the same time, he accused the Alliance of refusing to engage in dialogue and suspending cooperation with Russia within the framework of the NATO-Russia Council back in 2014.
Growing tensions over nuclear rhetoric
Tensions reached a critical point after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The Kremlin has repeatedly made nuclear threats. In September 2024, Vladimir Putin announced a change in nuclear doctrine, according to which an attack on Russia by a non-nuclear weapon state with the support of a nuclear weapon state would be considered a joint attack that could trigger a nuclear response.
NATO, in turn, calls Russia “the most significant and direct threat to the security of the Allies”. The Alliance also emphasises that NATO’s eastward expansion is a response to growing threats, while Moscow considers it an existential danger.
