Russia says NATO's increased defense spending will lead to alliance collapse
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on NATO to use practice as a guide in increasing defense spending.
According to TASS on June 30, at a press conference of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the catastrophic increase in defense spending by NATO countries will lead to the collapse of the alliance; Western countries need to be led "by justice".
“He probably foresaw, because he is a man capable of such foresight, that the catastrophic increase in the budgets of NATO countries, in my opinion, would also lead to the collapse of this organization,” Lavrov said, responding to a request for comment on the statements of Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski that a significant increase in NATO's military budget would lead to its collapse.
“And Russia, as President Vladimir Putin said, speaking in Minsk after the meeting of the Eurasian Economic Council, plans to cut military spending and is guided by reality. And not by fictitious and far-fetched threats, as NATO members, including Mr. Sikorski, are used to,” said Foreign Minister Lavrov.
Leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance have agreed to increase defense spending to 5% of GDP, according to a joint communique adopted after the NATO summit held in The Hague on June 24-25. By 2035, alliance member states will allocate at least 3.5% of GDP based on the agreed NATO definition of military spending and up to 1.5% of GDP to protect critical infrastructure, networks, ensure civilian readiness and resilience, stimulate innovation and strengthen the military-industrial complex.
