Deputy Nikonov said NATO expansion to Russia reminds of World War II
Photo: Konstantin Kokoshkin / Globallookpress.com
Vyacheslav Nikonov, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, compared the expansion of NATO with the threat of World War II on the air of the BBC radio station. His words are reported by TASS.
Nikonov said that the approach of the alliance to the Russian borders is the same challenge as Hitler for the USSR. “Many British soldiers have entered our land. Of course, there was the Second World War and Napoleon, and the approach of NATO to our borders strongly reminds us of this. As with Hitler – this is how it looks from our side, for us it is the same challenge, ”he stressed.
According to the deputy, Moscow is still waiting for a constructive response from Washington to its proposals on security guarantees, but is not going to “wait for them forever.” He stated that Russia would be ready to respond to the West in such a way that it would be in the same threatening position as the Russian Federation. Nikonov advised to be critical of information about the “invasion” and denied its likelihood, and also invited Western leaders to recognize that Ukraine “in this century” will not be accepted into NATO.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, during a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, said that NATO's eastward expansion at the expense of the post-Soviet republics is very dangerous for Russia.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov noted that Ukraine's rejection of the idea of joining NATO would be a step towards normalizing the situation.
