Former US intelligence officer angry about Pentagon chief's remarks
In an interview with the YouTube channel Judging Freedom, former US military intelligence officer Scott Ritter said Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin blatantly lied to lawmakers when he announced the possibility of war between Russia and NATO.
Mr Austin said earlier in a US House hearing that Ukraine's defeat threatened a direct military clash between Russia and NATO.
“I would like to be a member of Congress and ask him, ‘Excuse me, Secretary Austin, are you saying you know what Russia is going to do? You say you know, then you are either lying or you know something that we need to know.’ And the answer is: he doesn’t know anything, because he made up this nonsense story,” the former intelligence officer fumed.
Ritter noted that NATO officials’ statements about Russia’s alleged imminent invasion were not based on knowledge of the Kremlin’s plans but on blind faith. Anyone who understands Moscow’s thinking knows that the Russian military will not invade Poland, the Baltic States or any other NATO country, he added.
“This is a conflict that began and will end in Ukraine,” the analyst said.
The possibility of a direct armed conflict between NATO and Russia has been increasingly discussed in the West recently. The Kremlin notes that Russia does not threaten anyone, but will not ignore actions that could endanger its interests.
In addition, in recent years, Russia has noted unprecedented NATO activity near its western borders. The alliance is expanding its initiatives and calls it "deterring Russian aggression." Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the military alliance's increased presence in Europe.
