Russian diplmat accuses US of pushing Europe towards confrontational war

The updated strategy of the US army command in Europe is perplexing, Alexander Grushko, Russia’s Permanent Representative to NATO, said in an interview with the Rossiya 24 television news channel on Wednesday. "What the United States is doing is an attempt to push the world and Europe into a confrontational war, which should remain in the past," the Russian diplomat said. In its updated strategy, the EUCOM called "deterrence of Russian aggression" its top priority. The document was published at the EUCOM website on Wednesday.

"This document cannot but cause enormous bewilderment. What is absolutely surprising is that this document, which enumerates various risks and security threats, postulates directly that the command’s main task is to advance the U.S. vital interests from Greenland to the Caspian Sea," Grushko said. "Numerous questions are immediately coming to mind. On the one hand, the United States says it will not tolerate the world’s division into spheres of influence but on the other hand, it declares itself a global player, which considers the entire region to be its exclusive sphere of influence," Russia’s Permanent Representative to NATO said. "Russia is named as the main threat, which should be deterred from launching aggression in Eastern Europe. 

It is simply impossible to comment this assertion which is absolutely detached from reality," the Russian diplomat said. "It is clear that all this is necessary for gathering allies under the US shoulder and forcing them to pay more for the defense; contribute more to the defense sector; strengthen the eastern flank and defend and erect a new ‘iron curtain’. All this is read, directly and indirectly, in this document," Grushko said describing it as a very dangerous confrontational path. "I would like to emphasize that all this does not match either the real security needs or the real needs of world development because today it has become obvious that it is necessary to join efforts in the struggle against new threats and challenges," Grushko stressed. 

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