Russia and China shout back at NATO after summit

The alliance labeled Russia a “direct threat” and deemed China a risk to global security at its Madrid summit Wednesday and Thursday. Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also said the West has sent Russia the message that its eastern front is firm. “We want to remove any room for miscalculation, misunderstanding in Moscow, about our readiness to protect every inch of NATO territory,” he said. “That’s NATO’s core responsibility.”

What did Russia and China say? Russian President Vladimir Putin said he would respond with threats of his own if Finland and Sweden, who have been formally invited to join NATO, threaten his country by allowing foreign troops onto their soil. China accused the leaders at the summit of smearing the country and said that NATO was the one threatening global stability.

Dig deeper: Read Evgeny Kosykh’s report in WORLD Magazine about how Russians are speaking out against their government during wartime.