Kremlin says NATO's desire for a 'military Schengen' zone in Europe ratchets up tensions

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov attends Russian-Kyrgyz talks in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan October 12, 2023. REUTERS/Vladimir Pirogov

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday that NATO's desire to have a military analogue of the Schengen Zone in Europe to allow the alliance's armed forces to move around freely to counter Russia had ratcheted up tensions and was a cause for concern.

The chief of NATO's logistics command JSEC, Lieutenant-General Alexander Sollfrank, told Reuters in an interview published on Thursday that he would like to see such a zone.