Russia claims there is “zero” communication with NATO, but it does not want open warfare

Moscow: Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said in an interview that was released on Thursday that while Moscow has no plans to start a war with a NATO nation, ties between the two countries are becoming worse.

Grushko told Russian official news agency RIA on the occasion of NATO’s 75th anniversary that ties between Moscow and the alliance were “predictably and deliberately” worsening and that Washington and Brussels had pushed all avenues of communication to a “critical zero” level.

“Is the military bloc prepared to engage Russia in direct combat? You should question the actual members of NATO. In any event, with respect to the alliance’s member nations, we have no such ambitions,” Grushko said.
In 2022, President Vladimir Putin said that he was initiating a “special military operation” in Ukraine with the express purpose of obstructing NATO’s expansion near Russia. However, the battle has energised the alliance, which has grown to 32 members since Sweden and Finland were included.
NATO claims to be assisting Ukraine in fending off Russian aggression and to have given Kyiv cutting-edge weaponry, information, and training.
According to Russia, this effectively turns NATO into a party to the war. In February, Putin said that the world was only one step away from a third world war if there was a direct battle between Russia and NATO.