The Russian president said Russia would respond "adequately" to any Western aggression and would continue to deploy its army

Putin blames the West for provoking tensions in Europe

KREMLIN/MIKHAIL METZEL vía AP - The Russian president on Tuesday reiterated his demand for assurances from the United States and its allies that NATO will not expand eastwards, blaming the West for current tensions in Europe

María Cerdán

22 de diciembre de 2021 (17:41 h.)

Tags

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday blamed the West for the tension in Europe, saying the West had misinterpreted the results of the Cold War, referring to the border of eastern Ukraine, the former Soviet republic. The Kremlin leader said that NATO had expanded eastwards since the 1990s. "Russia has been forced to respond at all times. The situation has been worsening and now we are in a situation where we are forced to resolve it somehow," Putin said.

Tensions in eastern Ukraine have been heightened by EU and US fears of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has been exacerbated by Russia's large-scale military deployments on the Ukrainian border.

At a meeting on Tuesday, Putin demanded that NATO deny membership to Ukraine and other former Soviet nations and deploy its armies in areas other than Ukraine. Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu claimed that the United States had deployed more than 8,000 troops on Russia's borders and, along with other NATO allies, is frequently flying bombers near Russia. The minister also claimed that NATO's attempts to involve the Ukrainian army in the alliance's activities represent a threat to security.

Addressing Russian army and defence ministry cadres, Putin said that his country "will respond to any Western escalation", noting that Moscow continues to produce weapons and has a large army in the face of escalating threats from NATO. "They are responsible for the tension in Europe," he said.

Similarly, at this meeting a senior Russian diplomat said that contacts had already begun between Moscow and NATO on the issue of security guarantees demanded by Russia, and that there was a possibility of reaching an agreement. Putin has indicated his hope for "constructive talks" with Washington and Brussels on Russia's demands. At the same time, the president said he had no intention of backing down in the face of escalating tensions in Ukraine.

These statements come after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova last week reportedly presented several proposals to NATO for a security dialogue, to which no response was forthcoming. According to Zakharova's statements to the Russian news agency TASS, NATO's military deployment on the Russian border was simply "propaganda".

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that the alliance was determined to contact Moscow for a constructive meeting as soon as possible. "It is regrettable that Russian military build-up continues on the Ukrainian border despite Moscow's demands for de-escalation," Stoltenberg added.