MOSCOW, (MILLAT ONLINE/APP/AFP) – Moscow on Friday
denounced NATO “slander”, accusing the alliance of using “the myth of Russian aggression” as a way to unify its members.
To maintain unity, NATO uses “the myth of the Russian threat, the slander
of Russian aggression, the endless repeating of the need to confront it
together,” said Russia’s foreign ministry.
Moscow’s outburst came after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson,
attending his first NATO meeting in Brussels, denounced “Russia’s aggression in Ukraine”, signalling a potentially tougher stance toward Moscow from the Trump administration.
The Russian ministry said Tillerson’s comments had left it “perplexed”,
while voicing regret that they should be made on the day after a Russia-NATO
meeting which was held “in a constructive atmosphere”.
“Many times, NATO has placed ideological dogma ahead of real efforts to
tackle world problems,” the foreign ministry said.
“The only solution is to radically change the nature of the alliance,” it
added.
Donald Trump made rapprochement with Russia a theme of last year’s US
presidential campaign. Now Russia is impatient to see that wish translated into action.
US State Department officials said Tillerson would work with NATO allies
to press Russia to fulfil its obligations under the Minsk agreements to end the war in eastern Ukraine.
Tillerson’s remarks appeared likely to ease concerns that Trump is more
interested in cultivating ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin than in
shoring up the 28-nation alliance against a more assertive Moscow.