So will Russia “attack NATO,” as Biden fears?

Putin’s answer: “This is complete nonsense. I think that President Biden understands this. He says this in order to justify his erroneous policy towards Russia. It is erroneous because I don’t think that the United States is interested, as they thought 20 years ago and as they are publicly declaring now that they are “inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.” I don’t think that this is in the national interests of the United States itself.

This is the first. Second, the president of any major country, a NATO country, is the “master of NATO,” and the United States is the master of NATO, this is their “backyard”, everything is NATO, he cannot help but understand that Russia has no reason, no interest – no geopolitical interest, no economic, no political, no military, to fight with NATO countries. We have no territorial claims against each other, there is no desire to spoil relations with them. We are interested in developing relations.

So, they took Finland into NATO. Did we have any disputes with Finland? All disputes, including those of a territorial nature mid-20th century, everything were decided long ago. We had the kindest, most cordial relationship. There were economic relations. There were no problems, but now there will be because now we will create the Leningrad Military District there and concentrate certain military units there. Why did they need this?

This is some simple nonsense. It’s the same with other countries, including NATO countries. Who do we have any problems with? Not with anyone. It is they who artificially create problems with us. Because they don’t want to have such a competitor in Russia, that’s all.