On December 25, Maria Zakharova, the Spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, stated that NATO seeks to involve Georgia in risky geopolitical maneuvers and described the alliance as detrimental to stability in the South Caucasus. During a briefing, Zakharova emphasized that Moscow has repeatedly warned about what she described as NATO’s hostile course toward Russia and its efforts to expand into regions that were previously outside the alliance’s sphere, including the South Caucasus.

She stressed that, in Russia’s view, NATO’s intentions are "far from defensive" and instead "extremely aggressive," arguing that the bloc attempts to impose its own standards at the expense of the security interests of other states, which makes its presence in the region inherently destructive. Zakharova stated that NATO is pursuing a strategy aimed at drawing Georgia into new geopolitical adventures, underlining that this is the reason Moscow opposes turning the South Caucasus into what she called "a Euro-Atlanticist fiefdom," as well as the deployment of NATO forces and military assets there.

She added that Russia rejects such developments on principle, portraying them as a direct threat to regional security. She further emphasized that, unlike Western states, Russia does not interfere in internal political processes, provoke coups, change regimes, or impose unilateral sanctions on politicians to force compliance. According to Zakharova, this approach distinguishes Moscow’s policy from that of NATO and its supporters.

Zakharova also stated that Russia’s position is supported by political and public circles within the region, whom she described as "genuine patriots" acting in the real interests of their societies rather than engaging in what she characterized as provocative or demagogic patriotism.