NATO summit in Madrid proof alliance seeks to contain Russia: Moscow

Moscow said on Wednesday that the NATO summit in Madrid served as proof that the alliance was seeking to contain Russia and that it saw Finland and Sweden’s NATO bids as a “destabilizing” factor.

“The summit in Madrid confirms and consolidates this bloc’s policy of aggressive containment of Russia,” Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said, Russian news agencies reported.

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“We consider the expansion of the North Atlantic alliance to be a purely destabilizing factor in international affairs.”

No communication with Russia, says US

Meanwhile, a senior US official said on Wednesday that Washington has not communicated with Russia about a set of major changes in its military posture in Europe, and has no requirement to do so.

The official said NATO’s first new strategic concept since 2010 would mention for the first time the “systemic challenges” posed by China, and its burgeoning relationship with Russia, the official told reporters.

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