MOSCOW, June 25. /TASS/. The position of the Baltic states and Poland, which are amassing NATO forces on their territories while speculating about a Russian threat, is illogical and harmful, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.
These are the countries opposed to the idea of holding a summit between Russia and the European Union (EU), Peskov emphasized.
"Unfortunately, we are getting information that a whole number of countries spoke against a dialogue [with Russia] at a summit yesterday. We know that these were mainly the EU’s newer member states, in particular, the Baltic states and Poland. Let me repeat again that we regret this turn of events," the Kremlin spokesman said.
As the Russian presidential spokesman stressed, "these are the countries that most frequently make groundless claims about the existence of some threat to them from the Russian Federation".
"These are the countries that are doing everything possible to host as many forces from NATO and other countries, in particular, from the United States, as possible. Thus, a deadlock situation emerges," the Kremlin spokesman said, commenting on the position of the Baltic states and Poland that have spoken against holding a summit with Russia.
"On the one hand, these countries are talking about a threat and, on the other hand, they are accommodating foreign armed forces on their territory, thus endangering themselves to a greater extent. On top of that, they are refusing to hold dialogue," Peskov said.
"From our viewpoint, this position looks illogical. Moreover, it is harmful from the viewpoint of the prospects for the future," the Kremlin spokesman stressed.
NATO forces in Europe
The desire by the EU’s latest member states to accumulate larger NATO forces on their territory "does not lead to higher security on the continent," Peskov emphasized.
"On the contrary, this leads to higher tension. That is the point. It is not us, who are deploying our armed forces in third countries. It is foreign armed forces that are being stationed close to our borders, forcing us to take measures to protect ourselves," the Kremlin spokesman pointed out.
"It is not us, who fly personnel to other continents. It is the personnel from other continents that are airlifted to our borders," Peskov said.
Therefore, the emerging situation "is more of a concern for the EU and of a concern for Brussels," the Kremlin spokesman emphasized.
"They have a lot of disagreements. Perhaps, you have seen statements by Mr. Lutte from the Netherlands, who almost vowed to bring Hungary to its knees over the disagreements that emerged already over other issues," Peskov said, noting that the rhetoric in Europe was quite emotional.