The Kremlin said today that it is obvious that NATO is fighting against Russia by providing direct and indirect support to Ukraine, Reuters reported.
“NATO is de facto involved in this war“, Dmitry Peskov, press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, told reporters.
“NATO is providing direct and indirect support to the regime in Kiev. "It can be said with absolute certainty that NATO is fighting Russia," he pointed out.
Meanwhile, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that if NATO forces start defending Ukrainian airspace, Russia will view this move as a declaration of war, DPA reported.
“The implementation of the provocative idea of Kiev and other idiots to create a no-fly zone over Ukraine and allow NATO countries to shoot down our drones will mean only one thing: NATO's war with Russia“, the Russian politician wrote on his “Telegram“ channel.
After Russian drones violated Polish airspace last week, NATO deployed additional fighter jets along its eastern border. This has sparked renewed discussion in Europe about expanding protection to western Ukraine and shooting down Russian drones or missiles that enter the area.
Since the start of the war in 2022, Ukraine has called for a NATO no-fly zone. However, Kiev's Western allies have so far refrained from such a step, fearing a direct military confrontation with Moscow, Reuters notes.
Medvedev, who currently wields considerable power in Russia as vice-chairman of the Security Council, also threatened retaliatory measures if Russian state assets frozen in the European Union were used to finance Ukraine as part of a reparations loan.
Moscow will pursue responsible EU states and politicians "in all possible international and national courts - and in some cases outside them," he added.