MOSCOW. Feb 21 (Interfax) - NATO was involved in attempted strikes on Russian strategic aviation bases, Russian President Vladimir Putin said.
"We know that the West was directly involved in the attempts of the Kiev regime to strike on bases of our strategic aviation. The drones used for that purpose were equipped and upgraded with the assistance of NATO specialists. Now they want to examine our defense facilities, don't they? That sounds absurd under the circumstances of the ongoing confrontation," Putin said in his address to the Federal Assembly on Tuesday.
Meanwhile "we are not allowed to carry out full-scale inspections under this treaty," he said.
"Our numerous applications for inspecting any particular sites are either left unanswered or declined on formal grounds. We cannot actually inspect anything on the other side," Putin said.
"The United States and NATO openly say that their goal is a strategic defeat of Russia," he said.
"So what, are they going to ride around our defense sites like nothing happened? Including the newest ones?" Putin said.