Russia not going to attack NATO countries, senior diplomat says

MOSCOW:  Russia is not going to attack NATO countries, nor is it planning such aggressive steps, a senior Russian diplomat said in an interv...

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MOSCOW:  Russia is not going to attack NATO countries, nor is it planning such aggressive steps, a senior Russian diplomat said in an interview with Izvestia.

"The relationship between Russia and NATO is not just seeing its lowest point since the end of the Cold War era. The alliance is clearly pursuing a course toward countering our country and containing a `threat’ allegedly being posed by us," Vladislav Maslennikov, director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s department of European issues, told the newspaper, adding that the trend is being seen across the board. Meanwhile, "Russia has never sought to sour relations with NATO. The alliance is totally to blame for downgrading those. We are not going to attack NATO countries, nor are we making such aggressive plans," he continued.

According to the diplomat, Russia and the North Atlantic Alliance keep the so-called hot lines of communication and opportunities for emergency contacts available. "As regards normal contacts and mechanisms for dialogue that could be used in search of ways to reduce tensions, the alliance has rejected them. It was not our choice. Back in 2014, NATO unilaterally stopped cooperating with us at the Russia-NATO Council in the military and civilian spheres," he recalled.

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