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NATO approach to interaction with Russia does not reduce tensions — defense minister

According to Sergey Shoigu, the decisions taken at the NATO summit on boosting military spending of the member-states and improving its nuclear deterrence will guarantee military confrontation in Europe for years to come

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu Alexei Yereshko/Press Office of the Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation/TASS

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu

© Alexei Yereshko/Press Office of the Defence Ministry of the Russian Federation/TASS

MOSCOW, June 23. /TASS/. NATO’s approach to developing a formal dialogue with Russia outlined at a recent summit does not contribute to reducing tensions in bilateral ties, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told the Moscow Conference on International Security on Wednesday.

"The NATO summit held in Brussels on June 14 confirmed the bloc’s transformation from a regional to global military and political alliance, with the key goal of containing Russia and China," Shoigu stated.

According to the defense minister, the decisions taken at the NATO summit on boosting military spending of the member-states and improving its nuclear deterrence will guarantee military confrontation in Europe for years to come.

"Meanwhile, a formal dialogue, which Brussels proposes to continue as part of the NATO-Russia Council, does not reduce tensions in bilateral relations," he stressed. Shoigu also voiced concerns over the growing military activity in the Arctic.

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