Russia said Thursday that any potential deployment of additional NATO forces, including US troops, in the Baltic states would represent an escalation of tensions, according to Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.
Speaking to reporters, Zakharova said Moscow considers plans to increase NATO military deployments and establish additional military infrastructure in the Baltic region a confrontational step.
She argued that such moves, which she attributed to the US administration, contradict Washington’s stated objective of using diplomatic and political channels to reduce tensions in Europe.
Zakharova also accused NATO of accelerating the militarization of areas along Russia’s western borders under what Moscow considers an unsubstantiated claim of a threat from the East.
She repeated Russia’s position that it has no intention of entering into an armed conflict with Western Europe, noting that President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have made similar statements on several occasions.
The Russian official questioned the justification behind what she described as claims about a possible Russian threat, asking what objectives or reasons were being used to support such actions.
Zakharova also accused the European Union of pursuing a confrontational approach toward Russia, arguing that continued confrontation could further increase Europe’s difficulties.
She separately criticized Germany, saying Berlin was supporting Ukraine in the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Zakharova accused the German government of pursuing policies that could contribute to further confrontation, referring to Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent visit to Kyiv.
During the visit, Merz announced an additional €1 billion in military assistance for Ukraine.
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