Moscow Favors Russia-NATO Dialogue, But It Must Be Respectful - Kremlin

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Russia has never strayed away from dialogue with NATO, but dialogue must be constructive and based on the respect of mutual interests, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

“The Russian side has never strayed from dialogue. Obviously we have always been supporters of dialogue. We believe that this is the only actual method of solving problems and issues that are before us,” Peskov told journalists in regard to NATO’s initiative to hold a Russia-NATO meeting ahead of the NATO summit in July.

The accession of Montenegro into NATO, which is the expansion of the alliance to the east, raises the degree in tensions on the continent, Dmitry Peskov said.

“Overall, the further expansion of NATO from our point of view is more of a process with a minus sign. This process doesn’t strengthen European security from this point of view, but just the opposite, it extremely raises the degree of tensions on the continent,” Peskov told journalists in response to Montenegro’s accession into the military alliance.

NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) has been reinforcing its military presence in Europe, particularly in Eastern European states, since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, citing Russia's alleged interference in the conflict as justification for the move.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations, calling NATO's military buildup near Russia’s borders provocative.