When asked if Stoltenberg’s statement can be considered a recognition of this fact, Peskov replied in the affirmative, Sputnik reported.
This comes as a response to the NATO chief, who claimed that if Russia wins it will be not just a "big defeat for Ukrainians, but it will be a defeat and dangerous for all of us."
While the alliance has repeatedly said it is not participating in the conflict in Ukraine, the US, Britain, Germany, and other countries have supplied Kiev with Intel data and various weapons, contributing to the crisis.
Moscow has repeatedly warned them that by assisting Ukraine, the Western countries are only prolonging the conflict, causing new casualties, since the Ukrainian forces use arms to target civilian infrastructure.
Russia has been a consistent critic of NATO’s expansion following the collapse of the Soviet Union, since the bloc promised not to invite eastern European countries into the alliance.
However, NATO continued to expand, incorporating the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia over the decades.
The bloc also boosted its cooperation with Georgia and Ukraine, ignoring Russia's proposals to stop the expansion and de-escalate tensions last year.