MFA suggests clarifying with US motives behind reduction of drills with Seoul

MFA suggests clarifying with US motives behind reduction of drills with Seoul Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova added that sovereign states can determine the parameters of the joint exercises themselvesMOSCOW, August 20. /TASS/. Only the United States can fully comment on the motives behind its decision to scale back joint military exercises with Seoul, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said. Earlier, US President Donald Trump instructed Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth to reduce the joint military drills with South Korea because they send a hostile signal to North Korea. Answering a question from the media about what was behind these steps, Zakharova noted that it was "best to seek clarification, for example, from the American embassy or American officials, so that they could formulate the motivation." The diplomat added that sovereign states can determine the parameters of the joint exercises themselves. "The main thing is that these exercises comply with international legal norms, do not pose a threat, are not aggressive," she said. "But there is another parameter that probably concerns us directly. We are also part of the Asia·Pacific region, and we have repeatedly drawn attention to the fact that aggressive exercises, the purpose of which is not to counter common threats such as new challenges, terrorism, piracy, or to combat calamities, destabilize the situation and do not serve the goal of strengthening security; on the contrary, they undermine it. "This is why any steps aimed at reducing the conflict potential--in this case, it would be better to say not at strengthening security, but at reducing the risk of a security·related blow--can only be welcomed. As for what motivates them, you should turn to the American side for the answer to that question.". 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