Oleksandr Matsuka, diplomat and head of the UN Security Council Secretariat (2009–2016), stated this on Espreso TV.He commented on the admission of NATO officers to observe the Zapad-2025 exercises."The fact that they allowed Americans, Hungarians, and Turks to do their exercises is an absolutely blatant, undisguised attempt to split NATO. The Europeans are strengthening NATO's eastern flank, and the Americans are going beyond this flank to Belarus to observe the exercises. What's more, I cannot rule out that there will be some provocations during these exercises so that they can later say: 'But there were observers there.' That is, they were observers. They saw that we didn't do it. No drones were flying, they didn't see them. Of course, they didn't see them. They will be shown what they want to be shown. This is not the first time this has been done," said Matsuka.The diplomat added that the Russians are very good at doing this."That is, this is a blatant provocation against NATO unity. This is a blatant attempt to split Euro-Atlantic unity. And, unfortunately, the United States is falling for it. It's not just NATO officers at the exercises. It's also the lifting of sanctions from the Belarusian airline Belavia, which today opens a channel for supplying spare parts for Russian aviation. Only a fool could fail to understand that Belavia will now start purchasing spare parts in quantities that exceed its needs by tens of times. That is, all this is being done to tear the United States away from Europe," he stated.Matsuka emphasized that statements about the U.S. allegedly wanting to tear Russia away from China remained just statements."Russia, through its actions, is effectively tearing the United States away from Europe. And I believe that Europe will be left at the mercy of Russian influence," the diplomat concluded.American officers were unexpectedly invited to observe Russian-Belarusian war drills, signaling a potential thaw in relations between Washington and Minsk.