Russia says possible deployment of additional NATO troops in Baltics would be escalation

Russia said Thursday it views the potential deployment of additional NATO troops in the Baltic states as an escalation.

“We unequivocally view the potential deployment of additional NATO contingents – including US troops – and the establishment of corresponding military infrastructure in the Baltic states as an escalation,” Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told journalists.

Zakharova said such plans, which she claimed are “harbored by the Washington administration,” run counter to its stated aim of “fostering diplomatic and political avenues to de-escalate tensions in Europe.”

“All these confrontational moves align with the North Atlantic Alliance’s plans for the accelerated militarization of Russia’s western border regions under the false pretext – as we have already discussed today – of a so-called threat from the East,” Zakharova said.

She reiterated that Russia has no plans for an armed conflict with Western Europe, noting that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov have repeatedly made such statements.

“One might ask those who voice such things – or those who can at least explain what they mean – how they justify these fantasies. What do they cite as the goals, objectives, or reasons for the actions they fabricate?” Zakharova said.

She also accused the EU of embarking on a “path of confrontation” with Russia, arguing that this path would “only exacerbate Europe's problems.”

Zakharova described Germany as a party to the Russia-Ukraine war on Kyiv's side and accused the current German government of seeking war, citing German Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s recent visit to Ukraine.

Merz visited the Ukrainian capital over the weekend and announced a further €1 billion ($1.1 billion) in military aid to Kyiv.