Sergei Naryshkin, the head of Russia's Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), accused the NATO alliance on Thursday of making concrete preparations for what he called a “large-scale conflict in the east”.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. PHOTO: AFP
Serghei Naryshkin also stated that the European Union is rapidly arming itself and turning into a military alliance “directed against Russia”, reported the state news agency RIA, cited by Reuters.
European chancelleries fear that Putin will seek an escalation beyond Ukraine's borders
Russia is at a stalemate on the battlefield in Ukraine and is retaliating with massive attacks on Kiev. Growing fears in European capitals are that President Vladimir Putin will continue to try to change the situation by expanding the conflict to Europe, writes The Wall Street Journal.
In recent weeks, Moscow's rhetoric towards the Baltic states has become downright bellicose.
Russia has openly threatened to strike Latvia's “decision-making centers”, accusing Riga of hosting Ukrainian drone operators – a charge denied by Latvian authorities.
MAE responds harshly to Russia after threats against Ukraine
On Wednesday, May 27, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Romania reacted after a threat from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, qualifying it as a “serious and irresponsible escalation” which, if implemented, could constitute a war crime against the Ukrainian population.
The reaction comes in the context in which the Russian diplomacy sent a message through an official statement and on social networks, considered by the Romanian side as a threat with possible serious consequences from the perspective of international law. In this context, the ambassador of the Russian Federation in Bucharest was summoned to the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where the Romanian side sent him a message of protest.
And Hungary summoned the Russian ambassador to Budapest
This month, Hungary summoned the Russian ambassador to Budapest after the massive drone attacks launched by Moscow on the Ukrainian region of Transcarpathia, inhabited by a large ethnic Hungarian community, as well as Romanians. It is the first time that the Hungarian authorities resort to such a diplomatic gesture in connection with the Russian bombing of Ukraine. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Anita Orbán, summoned the Russian ambassador for a meeting that took place on Thursday, May 14.
