Russia — under fire from the West for ratcheting up what some say is a Cold War-type mentality — has now turned the tables, accusing NATO of the same and saying bluntly: Stop it.
In a statement issued on Thursday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry accused NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen of making NATO an “elite club” with “double standards” for foreign policy players, The Associated Press reported. The statement also said that NATO was “zealously reproducing Cold War-era rhetoric,” AP reported.
Russia’s statement came in response to Mr. Rasmussen’s demand for Russian President Vladimir Putin to pull back his military troops from the border of Ukraine.
NATO accuses Moscow of trying to threaten Kiev and send the message that Russian troops can invade at any moment.
Russian troops in March invaded Crimea and took control — a move Mr. Putin said was aimed at protecting ethnic Russians in the region but that many on the international arena said was sending Russian-West relations back into a Cold War standoff.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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