Kremlin Blames NATO Presence in Ukraine for Triggering War

The Kremlin has stated that the presence and activities of NATO forces and experts in Ukraine were key factors behind Moscow’s decision to launch the war.

Dmitry Peskov, the spokesman for the Russian presidential office, told Russian state television that NATO specialists were not only present in Ukraine but also involved in the country’s governmental structures and institutions — a situation he said raised serious security concerns for Russia.

Peskov pointed to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s conduct after his 2019 election victory, saying that while he campaigned on a platform of peace, he ultimately, according to the Kremlin, failed to implement the Minsk agreements and escalated tensions.

According to the Kremlin spokesman, the visible presence of NATO experts in Ukraine, combined with the delivery of weapons to Kyiv, posed a direct threat to Russian citizens in Ukraine and a broader danger to Russian national security. He emphasized that these combined factors led to Moscow’s decision to initiate what it calls a “special military operation.”