NATO's Stance on Russia Makes Arms Control Deal in Europe Impossible - Envoy

There are no grounds for a new arms control deal in Europe, as long as NATO continues to stress the need to deter Russia, Russia's envoy to NATO Alexander Grushko said Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — Earlier this week, in a commentary for German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier wrote that a new European arms control deal would help avoid an arms race between Russia and NATO and would contribute to "transparency, risk prevention and confidence building."

"We know from history of European security process that success in the military sphere could be reached only if there is a common political project. As of today, there is no such common political ground, judging by the decisions adopted at NATO summits in Wales and in Warsaw. As long as NATO both officially and unofficially states the necessity to deter Russia, there will barely be any real political ground for a serious dialogue in the sphere of arms control," Grushko told RIA Novosti.

He added that Germany's attempts as chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to give impetus to the military and political dimensions corresponded to the signals received by Moscow from Berlin.

Since 2014, NATO has been building up its military presence in eastern European countries bordering Russia, using Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine as a pretext for the move. Moscow has repeatedly denied the claims and warned the Alliance that its military buildup along Russia’s borders is provocative and could threaten regional and global stability.