Russia has never threatened NATO, as it has "neither geopolitical nor military interests" in attacking the countries of the alliance, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said at a meeting of defense ministers from the Shanghai Cooperation Organization member states, who gathered in the Kazakh capital of Astana.
He accused Western advisers of preparing Ukrainian sabotage attacks targeting Russian territory, warned of possible "catastrophic consequences" that could arise from Kiev's shelling of the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant and reiterated that all the goals of the special military operation will be accomplished.
TASS has put together the highlights of Shoigu's speech.
Washington engineered the conflict in Ukraine and is now making efforts to exacerbate it.
"The US first created the Ukrainian conflict and is now making deliberate efforts to prolong it," Shoigu said.
"On an almost daily basis, with the tacit consent of the West, Kiev uses the weapons it receives from the West to cause damage to the civilian infrastructure of the Russian Federation," the minister said.
Western advisers are "directly engaged" in plotting Ukrainian attacks targeting Russian territory.
"The Russian armed forces continue to effectively conduct the special military operation. All of its goals will be accomplished," he said.
