NATO sees no imminent military threat from Russia
(Baonghean.vn) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg disagrees with recent statements that Moscow seeks to weaken the Balkan region.
On November 21, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters that there was no "imminent" military threat from Russia to any NATO member or to the Balkan region.
According to RT, Mr. Stoltenberg is visiting North Macedonia, a former Yugoslav republic that joined NATO in 2019. During a joint press conference with Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, he was asked about Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky's recent statement that Russia plans to destabilize the Balkans.
“We do not see any imminent military threat from Russia to any NATO ally or region,” the Norwegian politician replied. “But of course we remain vigilant. We closely monitor what Russia is doing and we remain united.”
He noted that NATO has troops in the region under the KFOR mission in Kosovo, a headquarters in Bosnia-Herzegovina and an office in Serbia, and is “ready to quickly reinforce and do what is necessary to defend and protect every ally against any threat.”
“But, once again, we do not currently see any imminent military threat to any NATO ally,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
Mr Stoltenberg is in Skopje as part of a tour of the former Yugoslavia, which has already taken him to Sarajevo, Belgrade and Pristina. Of all the former Yugoslav republics, only Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia remain outside the US-led bloc.
While Stoltenberg reiterated NATO’s standard talking points on the conflict in Ukraine, his insistence that there was no threat from Russia directly contradicted what Mr Zelensky asserted last week.
Earlier, speaking to reporters from Africa last Thursday, the Ukrainian leader asserted that Moscow was behind the current conflict in the Middle East and was plotting to sabotage the Balkan countries and Moldova to distract the world's attention from Kiev.
“Pay attention to the Balkans. Believe me, we are receiving information: Russia has a long-term plan. In the Middle East, and then at least in the Balkans, if the countries of the world do not do something now, there will be another such explosion.”
According to RT, the Ukrainian president has repeatedly complained that Israel's war with Hamas, which broke out in October, has pushed Ukraine off the West's radar. The EU has failed to approve additional financial and military aid to Kiev, while the White House is struggling to push Congress to pass another funding bill for Ukraine.