MOSCOW, June 26. /ITAR-TASS/. NATO is pushing for the escalation of military-political tensions on the Russian-Ukrainian border under the pretext of the latest events in the neighboring country, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said on Thursday, June 26, commenting on the just-concluded meeting of the NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

NATO “apparently does not consider it necessary at this critical time to urge the Kiev authorities to reject ultimatums in the search for ways that would stop the violence as soon as possible”, she said.

“Instead, [they] have embarked on a conspicuously provocative course to build up Ukraine’s military potential which has been used, as we know, against civilians in the south-east of the country,” Zakharova said.

“In parallel, under the pretext of the events in Ukraine, [they] are pushing for the escalation of military-political tensions near the Russian border. Once again, calls were made for the all-round mobilization of resources and capabilities for collective self-defense even though there are no viable arguments proving the existence of threats to any of the NATO countries from Russia,” she said.