Europe would be safer without NATO, Russia’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Saturday, comparing the organization to a sore tooth.
“If NATO did not exist – I mean, if the alliance had not played, and did not continue to play, the role it has played – security in Europe would probably be much greater,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in response to criticism of Moscow’s calls for a reorganization of the European security architecture.
“NATO is precisely the organization which – like a sore tooth, you might say – has weakened the immune system of Europe, its western part, Central Europe and, indeed, the whole world, by demanding and drawing upon a colossal amount of resources for reactive measures.”
Zakharova was responding to a statement by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, according to the TASS news agency.
Merz had said there was no need to discuss issues relating to a European security architecture with Russia. “We don’t need to discuss that – it already exists,” Merz said. European leaders recently rejected Moscow’s proposal at a summit in Dublin.