ISTANBUL, October 22. /TASS/. The European Union cannot be considered a peaceful project, as its strategic documents provide for countering the "Russian threat," Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said.

"Today, it’s not possible to speak of the European Union as a peaceful project. The main rationale for both the EU and NATO is the fight against the 'Russian threat,' which is enshrined in their strategic documents. Notably, EU and NATO documents initially described Russia as a direct and immediate threat but later added, after some deliberation, that the threat was also long-term," he pointed out, addressing the Verona Eurasian Economic Forum.

According to Grushko, such an approach means that "no matter what happens in efforts to settle the Ukraine conflict, Europe will continue to see Russia as a threat." "Moreover, some hotheads even want to describe Russia as an existential threat in EU and NATO documents," the senior diplomat added.