Russia is very unhappy following the NATO Defense Ministers’ meeting in Brussels at which Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg promised that new steps will be taken to counter “Russian aggression”. On Thursday morning Moscow warned of the risks of a new “vicious Cold War”, and Vladimir Putin said that NATO is “provoking” Russia.
Following the two-day meeting of NATO Defense Ministers’ during which new steps to strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defense were reportedly discussed, Stoltenberg also introduced new steps to deal with Russia.
Part of the new strategy was to increase NATO’s naval presence in the Black Sea. “It is one element in a broader adaptation of NATO defense and deterrence to a more demanding and challenging security environment including in the Black Sea region,” Stoltenberg said.
In response, the Russian envoy to NATO, Aleksandr Grushko, said that Moscow will thoroughly analyze NATO’s expansion in the Black Sea and will “take all necessary measures to properly safeguard Russia’s national interests in this region”.
US Defense Secretary James Mattis also stressed the need to increase spending on defense and “on major new equipment, including related research and development.”
Russia’s envoy slammed this plan as well warning of the risk of a “vicious circle” of an arms buildup “from which it will be very difficult to get out.”
“If these plans will be implemented, we may find ourselves in the situation of a Cold War, when the military planning, aimed at countering a ‘large enemy’ would generate respective policies,” Drushko said.
Earlier on Thursday, Putin addressed Russian security officials and accused NATO of “non-stop” attempts to destabilize the social and political situation in Russia and provoke a conflict. NATO with its “newly-declared official mission to deter Russia” poses a threat to global security, he said.
“They are provoking us constantly and are trying to draw us into confrontation,” Putin stated.
