NATO has been preparing for confrontation with Russia since 2014.
The North Atlantic alliance began preparing for confrontation with Russia in 2014, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Madrid.
“In fact, we have been preparing for confrontation with Russia since 2014, so we have increased our military presence on the eastern flank of the bloc, started spending more money on defense, and also increased the readiness of our forces,” Stoltenberg said.
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NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Photo: AP |
Earlier on Wednesday, NATO leaders adopted a new strategic concept for the alliance until 2030, which identified Russia as a “direct threat”. They said Brussels wanted to maintain communication channels with Moscow to reduce risks, but no longer considered Russia its partner.
Moscow has repeatedly noted that the North Atlantic Alliance is aimed at confrontation. As Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the Russian President, stressed, further expansion of NATO will not bring greater security to Europe. The Russian Foreign Ministry pointed out that Moscow remains open to dialogue with NATO, but only on an equal basis, and that the West must abandon its policy of militarizing the continent.
