Russia Slams US Claims That NATO Is a ‘Defensive Alliance'

Lavrov made his comments Friday at a meeting with students and teachers at the Belarusian State University.

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On the White House's recent claim that neither Russia nor anyone else should fear NATO at all, as the U.S.-led military bloc is a defensive alliance, Lavrov said that "it is already ridiculous to hear adults say such obvious nonsense. I would say, it is simply disgraceful." 

The Russian diplomat said that "when someone pushes forward, establishes control of territories and deploys armed forces and military infrastructure there, it is not exactly what is called defense. It's just the opposite," noting that "NATO has moved eastward five times."   

Lavrov added that the West "has never proved its ability to keep its word." NATO's promises that it would not expand eastward, have "turned out to be lies." 

On this occasion, the foreign minister also said that NATO had abandoned commitments not to permanently deploy significant combat forces on the territories of the bloc's new member states, as in the case of the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act. 

He warned that "the latest decisions by the Madrid summit proclaim a colossal increase in the armed forces, weapons and military infrastructure on NATO's so-called eastern flank." 

According to the top Russian diplomat, NATO has completely neglected another of its core duties, that of ensuring the indivisibility of security. Under this formula, "no country, no organization, and no alliance have the right to lay claim to a dominant role in Europe," Lavrov said, adding that this is precisely what NATO is doing.