The Russian Ambassador to France declared the dominance of the United States in NATO policy

Key decisions in NATO are made by the United States, and European countries, including France, have no real influence on the alliance. On October 22, Russian Ambassador to France Alexei Meshkov told Izvestia.

"We must admit that there is only one force in NATO that decides everything and for everyone. <...> I mean the Americans. Everyone else knows. <...> The policy of NATO is determined by Washington," he stressed.

The diplomat noted that, despite the historical traditions of France's independence since the time of the first president Charles de Gaulle, the country does not have a decisive influence on the policy of the alliance. According to Meshkov, even France's nuclear potential remains under national control, but this does not change the overall balance of power in NATO.

"Therefore, it is difficult to say that France has any decisive influence on NATO's policy," concluded Meshkov.

Watch the full interview in the program "Izvestia. The main thing" on October 25 on Channel Five.

Coastal attitude: NATO creates new threats to Russia in the Black Sea

Why is the alliance pulling new forces into the region and what role do Romania and Bulgaria play in this?

On September 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that NATO and the European Union (EU) continue to whip up hysteria around Russia's alleged plans to attack Europe. According to him, any sane person is aware that the Russian Federation has no desire to ever attack anyone.

Later, on September 27, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia had no intention of attacking NATO and the EU. The minister also noted that there should be no doubt in NATO and the EU that any aggression against Russia will be resolutely rebuffed.

All important news is on the Izvestia channel in the MAX messenger.