Moscow-NATO Ties Not to Be Restored Till Alliance Keeps Frightening Russia

Russia-NATO relations cannot be restored until the military Alliance refuses the strategy aiming to "frighten Russia," head of the Russian State Duma Foreign Affairs Committee Alexei Pushkov said Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Since 2014, NATO has been building up its military presence in Europe, particularly in eastern European countries bordering Russia, using Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine as a pretext for the move.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed the Ukraine-related accusations leveled at it, warning that increased NATO activities near the country's borders could undermine regional and global stability.

"NATO includes a number of states, which stake on military confrontation with Russia, namely the Baltic states, Romania, Poland, the United Kingdom and the United States. We should perceive it as a signal that any rapprochement with NATO in the foreseeable future is out of question. At least until NATO refuses to implement its new strategy of forward basing and frightening Russia..," Pushkov said in an interview with Rossiyskaya Gazeta.

According to Pushkov, all statements by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, devoted to resumption of Russia-NATO Council activity, as well as to NATO's aspiration to maintain dialogue with Russia, have nothing to do with reality.

"…it is no more than a fig leaf aiming to cover the fact that NATO increases its military presence near Russian borders and intend to take aggressive decisions at the Warsaw summit," the lawmaker stressed.

On Tuesday, NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said that the Alliance would take further steps aiming to increase the its military activity at the summit in Warsaw scheduled for July 8-9 as well as to strengthen its deterrence capabilities.