After the NATO summit, Russia threatens new "measures" and China asks not to interfere in the Pacific

The NATO summit in Washington, D.C., devoted several major talking points to China and Russia. The alliance accused Beijing of being a "decisive enabler" for Russia in the war against Ukraine. Since the 2022 NATO summit in Madrid, NATO mentioned China as a challenge to the allies' "interests, security and values."

The governments of Beijing and Moscow have responded to NATO after the statements made at the summit. On the one hand, the Kremlin gave a press conference this Thursday in which spokesman Dimitri Peskov assured that Russia foresees "measures" to "counter the serious threat" posed by NATO to its government. 

To this he added that Russia already considers the military alliance as "fully involved in the Ukrainian conflict," according to Russian agencies.  "This is a very serious threat to national security" that "will force us to take studied, coordinated and effective measures to counter NATO," Peskov added, without specifying when they would be taken or what would be their nature.

Russia's response focuses especially on Ukraine's progress toward becoming a NATO member. The Washington summit was the scene of new agreements between the alliance and Ukraine, which will receive more economic aid, plus anti-aircraft batteries and a batch of F-16 fighters.

"From the very beginning, we have said that Ukraine's integration into NATO posed an unacceptable threat to us. Now we see that NATO adopts a document saying that Ukraine will definitely join NATO," Peskov stated. Ukraine's entry into the Atlantic alliance could provide a sufficient deterrent to prevent future Russian aggression in Ukraine.

China denounces "sinister motives".

For its part, China also condemned the statements of the Washington summit by which it made Beijing responsible for allowing Russia to continue its offensive in Ukraine thanks to the sale of arms and giving an outlet for many of its products and resources. 

"NATO's exaggeration of China's responsibility for the Ukraine issue is unreasonable and has sinister motives," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said at a briefing. He maintained that China has a fair and objective stance on the conflict. 

In turn, he urged NATO to cease its "interference" in China's internal political affairs, as well as to curtail its activities in Beijing's zone of influence, the Pacific Ocean. "Stop interfering in China's internal politics and discrediting its image, and don't sow chaos in the Asia-Pacific after sowing confusion in Europe."