Russia has no intention of attacking Ukraine and has reason to be concerned about NATO expansion. Vyacheslav Nikonov, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, stated this on Monday in an interview with the BBC radio station, noting that Russia, which has been repeatedly invaded from the West, does not start wars.
“Many British soldiers entered our land. Of course, there was the Second World War and Napoleon, and the approach of NATO to our borders strongly reminds us of this. As with Hitler, this is how it looks from our side, for us it is the same challenge “, – Nikonov noted. – We do not want a repeat of the Second World War. Russians do not start wars, they end them.”
Answering a question about the likelihood of an allegedly planned Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory, Nikonov advised to be critical of information from Western sources about the concentration of Russian troops near the borders of Ukraine and drew attention to the close historical, cultural and social ties between the two countries.
Nikonov stressed that Moscow is still waiting for a constructive response to its proposals for security guarantees, but “will not wait for them forever” and is ready to give a “technical answer that will put the West in the same [as Russia’s] threatened position.” The MP stressed that the West is clearly not ready to “accept Ukraine into NATO in this century” and proposed to start openly acknowledging this fact.
Recently, in Western countries, as well as in Ukraine, there have been statements about a possible Russian invasion of Ukrainian territory. Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov called such information empty and unfounded escalation of tension. Peskov stressed that Russia poses no threat to anyone. At the same time, he did not rule out the possibility of provocations to justify such statements, and warned that attempts to resolve the crisis in southeastern Ukraine by force would have the most serious consequences.