NATO to Try to Exploit Ukraine Crisis to Close Alliance Ranks, Says Russian Foreign Ministry

NATO will try to use Ukraine’s crisis to “close its ranks” in the face of an alleged external threat to the alliance member-states, and to prop up NATO importance in the 21st century, the Russian Foreign Ministry points out in a commentary it published on its website earlier today.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has been recently making continual statements to confront Russia, invariably resorting to Cold War rhetoric.

Active use of NATO ‘double standards’ creating direct threat to security, stability in Ukraine – Russian Foreign Ministry

Statements by Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen on the Ukrainian situation is not helping to remove tensions in the country and the use of double standards is threatening stability in the region, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its website on Thursday.

‘Several times over the last few months we have heard nothing constructive in comments by the NATO Secretary General in the agenda or worry of a quick normalization to the situation in Crimea, releasing inclusive political processes based on democratic values, the respect for human rights and minorities that are so dear to AandersFogh Rasmussen himself,’ the statement reads.

Threats of sanctions against Russia will not change its policy – Russia’s Deputy PM

Threats of sanctions against Russia will not change its policies, no matter what the United States, Germany, or other western countries wish, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said on Thursday.

“It is impossible to force sanctions on Russia, the more calls to sanctions, the harsher the sanctions placed on Russia, the more mobilized the Russian society will become, and we will search for various paths to get around these difficulties,” Shuvalov said.

Russia will not retaliate with economic sanctions on the West – Deputy PM

Russia has no plans to introduce retaliatory economic sanctions against the West, Russian First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov said on Thursday.

“We will not introduce any retaliatory sanctions. If someone is scaring someone else that Russia will stop delivering its traditional goods to the international market or will introduce some sort of limitations, then we aren’t planning on doing anything,” Shuvalov said.

Voice Of Russia

R.S