NATO wants to expand into Asia?
(Baonghean.vn) - Russian MP Viktor Sobolev predicts that the US will seek to "pull" Japan and South Korea into this bloc within the next 5 years.
NATO could embark on a new wave of expansion later this decade, adding new members in Asia to gain an advantage in its confrontation with regional powers that tend to disagree with Washington’s foreign policy, a Russian lawmaker said on September 24.
Specifically, General Viktor Sobolev, a member of the Russian Communist Party, said the US-led military bloc could include Japan and South Korea in the medium term.
“It is clear that the Westerners have set the course for the militarization of Asia,” he said, adding that the US would do everything in its power to “pull” the two countries into the bloc, in order to put pressure on Russia, China and North Korea.
“Obviously, this cannot happen immediately in the next 2-3 years, but such an outcome is possible within the next 5 years. Our political and military leadership must take this issue very seriously, this is a real, very real threat,” the lawmaker said, according to the Russian Telegram channel Taynaya Kantselyaria.
Sobolev's comments came after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said earlier this month that NATO was looking to deploy its forces and military infrastructure in the Asia-Pacific, in an effort to deter regional powers.
Meanwhile, in August, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that the US-led alliance could eventually merge with AUKUS, a regional security pact first announced by Australia, the UK and the US in 2021 amid rising tensions between the West and China. As part of the deal, Australia is set to buy its first nuclear-powered submarines, which are expected to enter service in the early 2030s.
Commenting on the possibility of a merger of the two blocs, Mr. Putin said at the time that the US was seeking to "reformat the system of interaction between already developed countries in the Asia-Pacific region."
