OREANDA-NEWS Today, more than ever, NATO expansion is a step against Russia, declared the former French ambassador to the United States Gerard Haro. According to him, he was present at the talks on the first wave of bloc expansion, where he was assured that there were no anti-Russian intentions.

“I remember colleagues saying that this was not an anti-Russian step. Of course it was him. Candidate countries were not looking for military guarantees against China! Today, more than ever, the expansion of NATO is an anti-Russian step. The candidates' legitimate fears of "Russian aggression" in Ukraine fully explain their request," Aro tweeted.

As the diplomat noted, the actions of the alliance can be viewed as provocative for Russia, since any state perceives as a threat a military alliance, to which it is not a member, and sees "defensive steps as offensive."

“Intentions don't matter. In foreign policy, any defensive move is viewed by the other side as offensive. This means that any move cannot be decided in isolation, but must be analyzed globally,” Aro emphasized.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke about an attack being prepared near the Russian borders.