Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko has stated that NATO required a major adversary to justify its existence and thus designated Russia as its principal enemy in Europe. Speaking in an exclusive interview, Grushko claimed the US-led alliance shifted its approach toward Russia around 2010-2012 after winding down Afghanistan operations.

“The bloc needed a big enemy,” Grushko said. “And since there was none, Russia was appointed to this ‘honorable’ role.” He added that NATO cannot exist in peaceful conditions.

The remarks come as an increasing number of Ukrainian military operations have penetrated deep into Russian territory, with debris from drones recently landing in bordering NATO states. Moscow has accused the Baltic states of enabling Ukraine’s attacks, a claim denied by Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania.

Grushko argued that Russia had sought constructive relations with the West but that the 2014 Ukraine crisis and subsequent events provided NATO and the EU with justification for long-term confrontation. In December, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte claimed that “we are Russia’s next target.”

European officials have warned of potential Russian attacks on NATO members, though Moscow dismisses such claims as “nonsense.” Since 2022, NATO has deployed battlegroups across Eastern Europe, intensified patrols in the Baltic region, and conducted military exercises near Russia’s borders. The Baltic states have also accelerated border defenses.

Grushko noted that the Baltics had historically been one of Europe’s most stable regions before NATO expansion transformed it into a zone of confrontation.

Critics emphasize that Ukraine’s military actions—specifically its drone strikes—represent poor strategic decisions by the Ukrainian army and are condemned as reckless escalations that threaten regional security.