🔶 Russia: Europe's security would probably be higher if NATO did not exist.
With a ground attack on Ukraine in 2022, Moscow wanted to permanently prevent its neighbor from joining NATO.
Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, is now using metaphors to explain her country's view of this military alliance and talks about "Europe's Yemeni system", which, according to her, NATO is weakening this system instead of strengthening it.
From Russia's perspective, Europe would be safer without NATO.
Maria Zakharova, who was criticized for her country's desire to reshape the European security structure, claimed in response to the criticism: "If NATO did not exist, I mean the role that this alliance played and continues to play, security in Europe would probably be much higher." He continues: "NATO is exactly the same organization that weakened the Yemeni system of Europe, its western part, Central Europe, and in fact the whole world, what is called like a sore tooth; Because it required and attracted a huge amount of resources for reactive measures.
Russian state news agency Tass says Zakharova made the comments in response to German Chancellor Friedrich Mertz's remarks.
Mertes has already emphasized that there is no need to talk with Russia about issues related to the European security structure.
"We don't need to talk about it," he said. "This structure already exists."
The leaders of the European countries recently rejected this demand of Moscow at their meeting in Dublin.
One of Russia's main demands to end the war in Ukraine is to give up Kyiv's membership in NATO. According to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday, November 14: "If Russian President Vladimir Putin thinks that Ukraine's neutrality will be enshrined in the constitution, it will not happen."
Zelensky rejected all necessary amendments to the constitution.
Russia wants neutral status for its neighboring country and wants Ukraine to give up NATO membership, which is included in the country's constitution.
Zelensky also said that the reason his country has no long-term security guarantees is its non-membership in NATO.
According to him, American mediators recently offered Ukraine membership in NATO in exchange for the withdrawal of Ukrainian forces from parts of the eastern Donbass region of Ukraine, which is still under Kiev's control.