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NATO drills in Ukraine provoke destabilization near Russia’s borders, says diplomat

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova pointed out that NATO is holding seven drills in Ukraine this year

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

© Russian Foreign Ministry/TASS

MOSCOW, June 27. /TASS/. The joint drills of Kiev and NATO serve as a provocation for endless destabilization along the Russian borders, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Saturday on the Solovyev Live YouTube channel.

Zakharova pointed out that NATO is holding seven drills in Ukraine this year.

"We understand very well that these drills have two global goals. The first one is endless destabilization along the Russian border. This is a provocation for the sake of a provocation, they are trying to get a response. And there needs to be a response, because this is a sovereign state, a sovereign border. To constantly make this response come off as aggressive actions is provocative activity," she said.

"The second [goal] is to transport various types of equipment and arms to Ukrainian territory and leave them there," Zakharova added, noting that these actions violate the existing agreements.

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