Russia denounces NATO plan for permanent Europe deployment

MOSCOW

Decisions made at the NATO summit in Madrid violate the Russia-NATO Founding Act, Russia’s foreign minister said on Thursday.

One of the most striking violations is the agreement about the permanent deployment of military contingents in Europe, Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference in Minsk after a meeting with his Belarusian counterpart Vladimir Makei.

He said the act remains in force as neither side has backed out so far.

Lavrov said there were “long and loud discussions” in NATO about the need for a founding act or whether it would be better to abandon it.

However, the alliance “decided not to touch this topic,” he added.

Moscow is evaluating the outcomes of the NATO summit and will give a detailed assessment soon, according to Lavrov.

Both Lavrov and Makei agreed that the West is placing a new Iron Curtain between itself and Russia and Belarus, citing the closures of airspace and ports as evidence of its intent.

“I would advise them to do it carefully and not to slam anything,” Lavrov said.

On sanctions, Lavrov said there was a disparity between the measures taken by the EU and US, with Washington protecting itself and not venturing into areas that would damage its own economy.

“The US feels the negative effects of its own sanctions, but Europe suffers much more,” he said, adding that the reason the US is pushing for more sanctions “is to weaken not only Russia, but also Europe as a competitor.”