The North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General warned the Allies: «Moscow preserves the right to intervene in other sovereign countries. After Ukraine, it could be time for Georgia and Moldova»
by Emanuele Bonini (article written for EuNews)
You cannot attack Russia. Yet, you can defend yourself from it. This is the indication given by NATO after the Ukrainian crisis, where the Russian involvement is «clear». Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of the Organization, was quite lapidary during his monthly press conference in Brussels. «I agree that there is no military solution to the crisis in Ukraine, but we have all plans in place to ensure effective defence and protection of our Eastern Allies against any threat, and we have all the means to do it». Rasmussen pointed out that «each NATO activity is defence-oriented» and not offence-oriented, yet the world has suddenly changed lately. There is «a completely new security situation in Europe, less predictable and more dangerous». That is why the Organization should «review and update defence plans» in order to «be ready to respond quickly to any threat, including where there is little warning». A sentence aimed at European Allies in particular, with their dramatic cuts in defence budget, even though there is no room for cuts right now. «During the last five years, we have seen Russia increase its defence investments by around 10 percent per year, while some European Allies have cut their defence budgets by up to 40 percent».
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| Anders Fogh Rasmussen |
You cannot attack Russia. Yet, you can defend yourself from it. This is the indication given by NATO after the Ukrainian crisis, where the Russian involvement is «clear». Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Secretary General of the Organization, was quite lapidary during his monthly press conference in Brussels. «I agree that there is no military solution to the crisis in Ukraine, but we have all plans in place to ensure effective defence and protection of our Eastern Allies against any threat, and we have all the means to do it». Rasmussen pointed out that «each NATO activity is defence-oriented» and not offence-oriented, yet the world has suddenly changed lately. There is «a completely new security situation in Europe, less predictable and more dangerous». That is why the Organization should «review and update defence plans» in order to «be ready to respond quickly to any threat, including where there is little warning». A sentence aimed at European Allies in particular, with their dramatic cuts in defence budget, even though there is no room for cuts right now. «During the last five years, we have seen Russia increase its defence investments by around 10 percent per year, while some European Allies have cut their defence budgets by up to 40 percent».
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