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Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov has declared that peace in Ukraine is unattainable unless NATO removes its military presence from the Baltic States, according to Newsweek, citing TASS.
In an interview with the state-run Russian news agency TASS, Ryabkov stated that the ongoing war cannot be resolved without addressing what Russia sees as fundamental security threats stemming from the alliance’s eastward expansion.
“Resolving the current crisis in the Euro-Atlantic region is impossible without eliminating its core causes,” Ryabkov said. “At the forefront of these issues is NATO’s expansion, which continues to pose a critical threat to Russia’s national security.”
The remarks mark a departure from previous Kremlin narratives that focused primarily on Ukraine’s NATO ambitions. Instead, Ryabkov now places broader blame on the alliance’s growing military footprint in the Baltic, particularly in countries bordering Russia such as Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.
NATO currently maintains multinational battlegroups across the Baltics and several other Eastern European states, having reinforced its eastern flank in response to Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The alliance says its deployments serve as a deterrent against further aggression and reflect collective defense commitments under Article 5 of the NATO Charter.
Ryabkov’s statement reflects growing skepticism in Moscow about the West’s intentions and underscores Russia’s ambition to reshape the European security architecture to its advantage.
It also aligns with recent moves by the Kremlin to withdraw from arms control agreements, which analysts interpret as preparation for a protracted confrontation with NATO.
