"The Russians have been engaged in a sustained campaign to recapture what Putin considers their rightful buffer in Eastern Europe, and to undermine not just NATO and the EU, but the entire democratic foundation of both institutions," said a U.S. official who has studied Russian behavior since before the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991. The official requested anonymity because, he said, the White House has ordered officials not to publicly discuss hostile Russian activities.
"Krievi ir iesaistīti ilgstošā kampaņā, lai atgūtu to, ko Putins uzskata par viņu likumīgo buferzonu Austrumeiropā, nolūkā graut ne tikai NATO un ES, bet arī abu institūciju demokrātiskos pamatus," aģentūrai "Reuters" norādīja kāda Valsts departamenta amatpersona, kas vēlējās saglabāt anonimitāti, jo Baltais nams devis rīkojumu publiski neizteikties par Maskavas naidīgajām aktivitātēm.