NATO is at 'de facto' war with Russia, says Kremlin

NATO is "at war with Russia" over Ukraine, Russian spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday in his daily telephone press conference attended by the media.

"NATO is at war with Russia. This is obvious and does not require additional evidence," Peskov said.

According to the spokesman, by providing direct and indirect support to Moscow's adversary, the alliance has "de facto" involved itself in the armed conflict.

The comments by Vladimir Putin's spokesman come amid heightened tensions between the alliance and the Kremlin, following NATO member Poland shooting down Russian drones that entered its airspace last week.

Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski said at the time that the drone incursion was a Russian ploy to test the alliance. Moscow has not officially confirmed the involvement of Russian drones in the incident but has also not denied Warsaw's version of the events.

Also last Saturday, Romania, another NATO member, alerted of a suspected Russian drone over its territory, which raised alarm in the region. The Kremlin denied the presence of its airborne devices in this area and accused Ukraine of the incursion into Romanian airspace.

Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced on Friday the launch of a new military initiative named "Eastern Sentinel" aimed at strengthening the defense of the alliance's eastern flank.