PARIS, October 18. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told French journalists that a divided Europe is not in Moscow’s interest. The interview was a part of a two-hour production called "Vladimir Putin: Master of the Game" aired on Sunday evening on the France 5 TV channel.
"Moscow has no interest in a divided Europe. We’re interested in the existence of prosperous European countries, independent of each other. Europe is now searching for its own way, it is posing questions on its system of defense as well as the necessity of possessing a sovereign defense. The Europeans need their own army," Peskov said.
He pointed out that currently "it is unclear whether the Americans will stay in Europe and continue to defend the Europeans against those "horrible Russians". "We want to be heard: we are not threatening anyone, we are not a source of danger, we are a very large and very powerful country who is looking for partners," the Kremlin press secretary noted.
Commenting on the presenter’s statement over the movement of Russian troops to the border of Ukraine which was perceived as a threat by the West, he stressed that "surely, we can understand your feelings. But we would prefer it, if you Europeans were better informed. Massive NATO drills had taken place near Russia’s border before Russian troops were transferred to that region." Peskov highlighted that there is "endless talk about the concentration of Russian troops, yet everyone turns a blind eye to the concentration of NATO’s forces."
Replying to a question on Kiev’s quest for membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, he said that "Ukraine’s membership in NATO would be the worst-case outcome". "This sort of scenario transgresses the red lines of Russia’s national interests. This is the very scenario that could force Moscow to take active measures to ensure its security," Peskov stated.