Vladimir Putin announces Russia's tough reaction to Georgia's accession to NATO

The NATO's advance to Russia's borders and, in particular, Georgia joining the alliance, will pose a threat to the country and will provoke a response, stated Russian President Vladimir Putin. He has noted that the number of NATO soldiers has been increased in the areas where "there should not be any of them."

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 11, following the summit in Brussels, the leaders of 29 NATO countries confirmed the decision adopted in 2008 that Georgia would become a member of the alliance.

In turn, in his interview given to the "Fox News" US TV Channel after a meeting with US President Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin expressed Russia's attitude to the Georgia's cooperation with NATO.

"The advance of the NATO's infrastructure to our borders will pose a threat to us, and, of course, our attitude will be extremely negative," said Vladimir Putin as quoted in the shorthand report of the interview, posted today on the official website of the Russian President.

The Russian President has also noted that "the infrastructure of NATO is expanding." "The number of NATO soldiers in the areas where there should not be any of them is increased by 10,000 people. They should not stay in those areas in accordance with the fundamental document that builds relations between the Russian Federation and NATO. Of course, it is a destabilizing factor. We should take it into account in our relations," Vladimir Putin explained.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 17, 2018 at 01:57 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.