US Ambassador in Moscow: NATO's actions are a response to Russia's aggression in Ukraine
The United States Ambassador to the Russian Federation, John Tefft, stated that Russia has committed acts of aggression against Ukraine and all of NATO’s follow-up actions have been in response to that.
On 27 June in an interview with Radio Svoboda, Tefft indicated that NATO is a defensive alliance. “It’s not an offensive organization,” he noted.
According to him, NATO will remain the most effective defensive alliance.
“The response that NATO has prepared for the summit...is a direct response to what happened here, what happened in Crimea and in eastern Ukraine in 2014,” Tefft noted.
According to Tefft, the United States Presidential Administration has not yet changed its position concerning the provision of weapons to Ukraine.
“We have provided defensive and other additional assistance in addition to economic aid, and I think it will remain so during the remainder of the Obama Administration,” Tefft said.
The next NATO Summit will take place on 8-9 July in Warsaw.