London: Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned NATO against further deepening ties with Australia and other Indo-Pacific nations, saying its actions are provocative and risk ruining economic relations with China.

Putin, accused of war crimes by the International Criminal Court over the unlawful transfer and deportation of Ukrainian children, took aim at the trans-Atlantic alliance’s growing interest in Asia, blaming Washington for dragging European nations into a contest he claims they do not want.

The 32-member alliance which includes the United States, Canada, Britain, France and Germany, has signalled its growing worry about China’s assertiveness and ties with Russia. NATO has involved the so-called Indo-Pacific four – Australia, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand – to its past three summits, forging new partnerships with the nations.

“No one seems to consider whether Europeans want to jeopardise their relationship with China by getting involved in Asian affairs through NATO, creating a situation that raises concerns among regional countries, including China,” Putin told journalists at a forum for developing countries outside Moscow on Friday.

“I can assure you that they do not want this. Yet, they are being pulled into this, like small dogs on a leash pulled by a big fellow.

“Their allies – Japan, Australia and New Zealand – are nudged into action, tension is growing as serious weaponry is deployed which poses threats to the countries in the region, including China and Russia.”

Putin said the US was “15 years too late” and could not stop China’s progress, likening it to telling “the sun not to rise”.

“It will rise anyway,” Putin said.

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte repeated this week the organisation’s view that China’s moves to assert control in the South China Sea, a transit point for trillions of dollars of global trade each year, are now as much a concern for Europe and North America as for Asian nations.