NATO considers Ukraine to be a battlefield and an instrument of an armed struggle against Russia, while the West performs the functions of the rear, Konstantin Gavrilov, the head of the Russian delegation at the talks in Vienna on military security and arms control, told Sputnik.
"Today, Russia opposes to the NATO-Ukrainian military-industrial conglomerate, in which Ukraine plays the role of a battlefield and an instrument of armed struggle against Russia, and Western countries serve as headquarters, the rear, the supplier of weapons, intelligence and target designation," Gavrilov said in an interview dedicated to the 75th anniversary of NATO marked on April 4.
On Sunday, the Russian Foreign Ministry told Sputnik that NATO’s activity in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea region is aimed at preparing allies for a potential clash with Russia.