After Stoltenberg's statements The Kremlin: NATO is an aggressive bloc that encroaches on Russia's security

Russian presidential spokesman "Kremlin" Dmitry Peskov said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) "considers Russia as an adversary and infringes on its security." These developments come as a comment on previous statements by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, in which he said that "NATO is the right place for Ukraine."

Russian presidential spokesman "Kremlin" Dmitry Peskov said Friday that NATO "considers Russia as an adversary and infringes on its security."

Peskov said in a press briefing in the capital, Moscow: "We are dealing with an aggressive bloc that views our country as an adversary and encroaches on our security."

These developments come as a comment on previous statements by NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, in which he said that "NATO is the right place for Ukraine."

Peskov said: "NATO continues its policy of absorbing Ukraine and drawing it into the alliance. Our president (Vladimir Putin) spoke about this potential threat long before the start of his campaign" against Ukraine.

And he stressed that "all this shows once again the validity of the president's decision to launch the operation, based on the interests of the Russian Federation and the need to ensure its security."

Peskov warned that the sanctions imposed by the G7 countries, the European Union and the United States against Russia will also affect the global economy.

He continued, "The current sanctions imposed on our country and the new additional steps that Brussels and Washington are currently considering will also harm the global economy, and this will only lead to an increase in the trend towards a global economic crisis."

NATO did not issue an immediate comment on what was made by the Russian presidential spokesman.

Yesterday, Thursday, Stoltenberg said in a joint press conference held in the capital Kiev with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that "Ukraine's rightful place is within NATO," according to the British newspaper, The Guardian.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine, which was followed by international rejection and economic sanctions on Moscow, which stipulates that ending its operations requires Kiev's abandonment of plans to join military entities, which the latter considers an "interference" in its sovereignty.

Russia expels 20 German diplomats in response to a similar move from Berlin

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced the expulsion of more than 20 German diplomats from Moscow, in response to a similar step after Berlin expelled Russian diplomats en masse, and set the maximum number of employees of German diplomatic missions in Moscow.

 

On Saturday, the Russian Foreign Ministry announced the expulsion of more than 20 German diplomats from Moscow, in response to a similar move.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, in an interview with the Russian "Zvezda" channel, that "more than 20 German diplomats have been expelled from Russia."

Earlier in the day, Russia condemned Germany's decision to expel Russian diplomats, vowing to take an "appropriate response".

And the Russian Foreign Ministry said, in a statement, that "the German authorities informed the local media of a new collective expulsion of Russian diplomats, and the determination of the maximum number allowed for the presence of employees of German diplomatic missions in Moscow."

The Foreign Ministry also summoned the German ambassador to Moscow, Geza Andreas von Geer, according to the same source.

On February 24, 2022, Russia launched an attack on Ukraine, which was followed by angry international reactions. To end it, Moscow requires Kiev to abandon any plans to join any military entities and remain neutral, which the latter considers to be "interference with its sovereignty."