“We invited all NATO countries to our [security] conference, including the leaders of the Alliance. Now it’s all in the hands and heads of our colleagues to decide if they are ready for discussion or if they prefer a situation when sword-playing slogans are sent from their capitals in our address,” Antonov told journalists.
Antonov added that Ukraine was not invited to the international conference.
“At this stage of the brutal information antagonism in regard to the crisis in southeastern Ukraine, we decided not to inflame the situation at the conference and at this stage made the decision not to invite our Ukrainian colleagues to the event,” Antonov added.
Western countries are creating a new dividing line and have chosen Russia as its target instead of fighting terrorism, Anatoly Antonov said.
“Instead of joining efforts in the fight against evil, the most important of which is terrorism, western countries are creating a new dividing line…and today it has chosen Russia as its target,” Antonov told journalists.
The system of international security has been disrupted by the actions of the United States and its allies and it will be difficult to restore without mutual trust, Russian Deputy Defense Minister added.
“Without trust it will be difficult to repair the international system of security that has been seriously damaged by the actions of the United States and its allies on the international arena,” Antonov told journalists.
Antonov said he could not recall throughout his entire military career when relations between the United States and Russia were more difficult than at the present.
“Throughout my entire military-diplomatic career, throughout my entire diplomatic activities, I have never seen Russian-American relations so difficult,” Antonov told journalists.