MOSCOW: Drone-related provocations in Europe are being used to pressure parliaments into approving massive military spending and to escalat...
MOSCOW: Drone-related provocations in Europe are being used to pressure parliaments into approving massive military spending and to escalate the climate of military hysteria, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in comments to journalists.
"All these provocations are being exploited to further increase military hysteria, to prevent people from having the chance to think about what is going on. This rhetoric is necessary to make nations tighten their belts and to push parliaments to vote for these irrational military expenditures, which go beyond any notion of reasonable sufficiency," the deputy minister stated.
According to him, the Russian side proposed direct contacts in Poland, as communication channels and hotlines have been established for such incidents, whether deliberate or accidental. "All the protocols are well known," Grushko continued. "However, we see that instead of turning to Russia, and, by the way, we explicitly offered consultations in Poland, including through military channels, NATO countries choose to go to the Alliance to trigger Article 4 and then have all member states issue statements about remaining united in the need to counter 'Russian provocations' and their commitment to defending every inch of NATO territory."
At the same time, the Deputy Foreign Minister recalled that Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly stated that Moscow has no plans to attack anyone. "We have neither the intention, nor the reason, nor any motive to do so," Grushko added.
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