NEW YORK, SEPTEMBER 5 (RIA Novosti) – Western leaders meeting at this week’s NATO summit in Wales have a weak understanding of what in actually happening in Ukraine and thus can worsen tensions in Eastern Europe, an academic of the Russia’s Foreign Ministry Academy, Boris Shmelyov told RIA Novosti.
“Western countries don’t understand the situation in Ukraine and they don’t understand the significance of Ukraine for Russia. The interests of Russia, NATO and Western countries and the US are different and this difference is producing clashes, which will have very negative consequences for international relations and the world order,” Shmelyov said.
“We hope for a new climate in NATO and the adoption of a balanced solution at this summit so that NATO leaders do not lead to the further tensions between Russia and the West. We hope that the activities of NATO will take into account all aspects of the Ukraine crisis and its consequences for Europe, Russia and the US,” he added.
NATO leaders gathered in Wales on Thursday for two days of talks focused on Ukraine, where military operation launched by Kiev government to suppress independence supporters in southeastern Ukraine claimed some 2,600 lives since April.
