Moscow accuses NATO of deploying troops right on the border with Russia
(Baonghean.vn) - In the context of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) holding a two-day summit in Brussels (Belgium), on July 11, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu criticized the US and NATO, the US-led military alliance, for deploying troops and bases close to Russia's border.
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| Russia accuses the US and NATO of deploying troops close to the Russian border. Photo: Getty |
In an interview with Italy's Il Giornale newspaper, Mr. Shoigu said: "For a long time, I have always wanted to give my American partners a globe, so that they can look at it and explain why "American enemies" are present in the Middle East and the Far East, while all their military bases and forces are getting closer and closer to the Russian border."
Mr Shoigu appeared to be referring to the US missile defence shield, which Washington says is aimed at defending against attacks by Iran. Parts of the system are based in Eastern Europe, close to Russia’s western border.
The head of the Russian Defense Ministry said that NATO has expanded to the East, that is, towards the Russian border, despite the commitments made to the former Soviet leadership during the reunification of Germany.
Mr. Shoigu emphasized that Russia is ready to return to the idea of providing Syria with advanced S-300 surface-to-air missiles, but Damascus has not made any requests to Moscow.
“Today, after the aggressive actions of the United States, Great Britain and France against Syria, which demonstrated the need to equip Syria with modern air defense systems, we are ready to reconsider this issue,” Mr. Shoigu said.
Last April, Russia left open the possibility of supplying weapons to President Bashar al-Assad, despite Israel's objections, following airstrikes by the US-led international coalition on Syrian territory.
However, after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Moscow last May, Izvestia newspaper quoted a top Kremlin aide as saying that Russia had not discussed the supply of missiles with the Syrian government, and stressed that such weapons were unnecessary.
