Kremlin rejects NATO chief's 'irresponsible' statements on possibility of war with Russia: 'He just doesn't understand what he's talking about'
Dmitri Peskov, with Vladimir Putin, Photo: Not supplied / WillWest News / Profimedia
The Kremlin said on Sunday that Mark Rutte's statements about preparing for a possible war with Russia were “irresponsible” and showed that he did not really understand the devastation caused by the Second World War, reports Reuters.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 after eight years of fighting between Moscow-backed separatists and Kiev troops in Donbas. The conflict has pushed tensions between the West and Russia to unprecedented levels since the end of the Cold War.
In a speech in Berlin on Thursday, NATO's secretary-general said the alliance was Russia's “next target” and should be prepared for the possibility of a conflict “of the proportions of the war that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers endured.”
“We are Russia's next target. I'm afraid too many are complacent and complacent. Too many don't feel the urgency. And too many think time is on our side. It's not. The time for action is now,” Rutte said.
NATO Secretary General warns Allies they are Russia's next target: “Too many think time is on our side. It's not”
The reaction of the Kremlin
The Kremlin has repeatedly dismissed accusations that it plans to attack a NATO state, calling them “nonsense” used by European leaders to stoke anti-Russian hysteria.
Commenting on the NATO Secretary General's statement, the Kremlin spokesman said: “This seems to be a statement by a representative of a generation that has managed to forget what World War II was really like.”
“They don't understand at all and, unfortunately, Mr. Rutte, making such irresponsible statements, simply does not understand what he is talking about,” Dmitri Peskov also said in statements to Pavel Zarubin, a reporter for state television.
Earlier this month, Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country does not want war with European powers, but that if Europe wants war, Russia is ready to fight right now.
“We do not intend to go to war with Europe, but if Europe wants it and starts, we are ready right now,” Putin told reporters on December 2 at an investment forum in Moscow.
Vladimir Putin directly threatens Europe: “If it wants to go to war, we are ready right now”
