When addressing the NATO leaders, US President Donald Trump said that the contribution of 2 percent of each of the member states’ GDP toward the alliance’s defense was not enough, and added that the alliance should focus on terrorism, immigration and "threats from Russia and on NATO’s eastern and southern borders."
"There are no reasons at all to increase the military budget and intensify activity in Eastern Europe. Europe is not threatened by any other country with relation to conventional warfare. It is ridiculous to equate Russia with terrorism. Trump and the West do not understand the consequences of their dangerous politics," Neu said.
The Russian Foreign Ministry said Friday that NATO moving closer to the Russian borders was a dangerous attempt to circumvent its founding act on ties with Moscow that lead to a "dangerous arms race spiral."
According to the ministry, relations between Russia and the military alliance are "at the deepest crisis since the end of the Cold War." Additionally, the ministry said that NATO's intention to justify its existence by exaggerating the "threat from the East" hinders the unification of states' efforts in the anti-terror struggle.
