NATO should oust US to secure stability in Europe – Duma chief

State Duma speaker Sergey Naryshkin suggested that NATO members should expel the United States from the bloc, asserting such a move should return the security situation in Europe to normal levels.

“I have one fantastical proposal – I would suggest that European partners oust the USA from NATO,” Naryshkin said on Tuesday, as he spoke at an international conference dedicated to looking at possible ways of overcoming the current crisis in Europe.

“I am sure that after this step, the level of stability and security in Europe would quite soon return to its proper state,” the Russian politician added, as quoted by the ITAR-TASS news agency.

The NATO charter allows any member-state to leave the alliance with a year’s notice, but so far the bloc has only been enlarging and encompassing former Eastern European nations. The United States provides about 72 percent of the 28-member alliance’s budget and over 1.4 million servicemen in a 3.3 million-strong NATO force.

In late October, Naryshkin told a Russian newspaper he believed the United States wanted to end mutual dialogue between Russia and Europe. He also noted that this would not happen, as Russia would keep looking for every opportunity to mend ties with its neighbors.

“Let us not play by their rules, not do what they are pressing for. If we help them in this it would be a big present to the ‘hawks.’ On the contrary, we will seek for every opportunity to hold a dialogue so that everyone can hear our position,” the Duma speaker said.

In September, Naryshkin told fellow lawmakers, in a parliamentary speech, that recent steps taken by the US and its allies were “cynical and irresponsible” and could cause a new Cold War.