“This bloc was created against the USSR, and now it is working against Russia,” Lavrov said after talks with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.

He noted that this explains Russia's position on the "fundamental issue of non-expansion of NATO" to the East.

Earlier, Lavrov called the statements of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about his readiness to accept Finland and Sweden into the alliance as an attempt to put pressure on their policies.