As the U.S.-led alliance celebrated its 75th anniversary on Thursday, the Kremlin declared that Russia and NATO are currently in a “direct confrontation.”
President Vladimir Putin has been particularly focused on NATO’s continuous expansion towards the east. Two years ago, Putin initiated a conflict in Ukraine with the goal of preventing the alliance from encroaching closer to Russia’s borders.
However, rather than achieving this objective, the war has unified NATO, leading to further expansion with the inclusion of Finland and Sweden.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: “In fact, relations have now slipped to the level of direct confrontation.”
NATO was “already involved in the conflict surrounding Ukraine (and) continues to move towards our borders and expand its military infrastructure towards our borders”, he said.
Putin has frequently stated that Russia was deceived by the West following the Cold War, highlighting Moscow’s view that while the Warsaw Pact alliance dissolved, NATO expanded eastward by incorporating former pact members and the Baltic states that were previously part of the Soviet Union.
However, the West disputes this narrative, asserting that NATO is a defensive alliance and that the decision to join was a democratic choice made by countries that had liberated themselves from decades of Communist rule.
NATO argues that it is assisting Ukraine in defending itself against Russian aggression, providing Kyiv with advanced weaponry, training, and intelligence. Russia contends that this effectively makes NATO a party to the conflict.
Putin stated in February that a direct conflict between Russia and NATO would bring the world perilously close to World War Three.
