Kremlin says relations between Russia, NATO 'slipped to level of direct confrontation'

By Elena Teslova

MOSCOW (AA) - Relations between Russia and NATO have “slipped to the level of direct confrontation,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

NATO countries are directly involved in the conflict in Ukraine and continue to move their military infrastructure to the Russian borders, Peskov said at a news conference in Moscow.

Highlighting NATO's origins as "a tool for confrontation" managed by the US, Peskov emphasized that the alliance’s actions serve as a destabilizing force rather than contribute to security and stability on the European continent.

"NATO was ... created and is managed by the US as a tool of confrontation, primarily on the European continent. NATO continues to perform its function, which in no way contributes to security, predictability and stability on the continent, but on the contrary, is a destabilizing factor," he said.

In response to inquiries about Georgia's proposed legislation on foreign agents, Peskov noted that the laws are increasingly being implemented globally as a safeguard against external interference in domestic affairs.

"It is absurd to consider this draft 'Russian.' That is the first country that invented a system of fighting with foreign agents was the US. And today, almost all countries are fighting with those who serve as agents of foreign states.

"It became a global trend. No sovereign state wants other countries to interfere in domestic politics. This is a normal practice," he said.

As for Russia, Georgia is its neighbor, stability and predictability of the situation in Georgia are in Moscow's interests, he said.

Turning to the ban on the use of Russian Mir bank cards in allied countries in Central Asia, Peskov said Moscow is in touch with partners concerning the issue.

Regarding British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's threat to pull the UK out of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), Peskov said: "The countries of the world do not want to harm their national interests in favor of international organizations with questionable effectiveness. Here every case is unique."