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NATO aims to occupy Ukraine, says Russian senior lawmaker

According to Vyacheslav Volodin, it is obvious that Washington is trying to justify its expansion and NATO advancement to Russian borders

MOSCOW, January 18. /TASS/. The speculation over Moscow’s alleged plans to invade Ukraine is part of an information campaign supporting NATO’s advancement to Ukraine, Chairman of the Russian State Duma (lower house) Vyacheslav Volodin stated on Tuesday.

"All this can be viewed as an information campaign on NATO’s advancement to Ukraine. Its advisers are already there, its instructors are also there and now they are thinking about how to justify the deployment of troops," Volodin noted. "In other words, NATO seeks to occupy Ukraine," the senior lawmaker said.

According to Volodin, in recent months, the situation around Ukraine seems more like hysteria. "The [US] Department of State is trying to intimidate the whole world with an alleged Russian invasion. It is obvious that Washington is trying to justify its expansion and NATO advancement to Russian borders," the parliamentarian went on to say.

In this regard, Volodin emphasized that nowadays, it was crucial for the State Duma deputies to maintain contacts with the parliaments of other countries. "Our task is to prevent a terrible tragedy, to which the world is closer than ever. Hence, we need to bring this idea to the attention of all parliaments so that they realize their responsibility and understand how this could end. Russia is able to provide an appropriate response, but this obviously is going to result in consequences," the senior lawmaker warned.

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Foreign policy Ukraine NATO Vyacheslav Volodin

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