NATO has officially acknowledged that several years ago it began planning to expand to Russia’s borders. This was announced on September 17 by the head of the military committee of the alliance, Rob Bauer, at a press conference in Tallinn.
“We discussed the most extensive restructuring of our military structures since 1949. Planning for this began several years ago, now we are putting these plans into practice, ”he said.
Bauer also said that Ukraine is receiving more modern weapons from NATO members.
“The Alliance as a whole agreed to provide non-lethal assistance to Ukraine, but NATO countries independently provide Ukraine with military assistance, including the supply of weapons. Thus, over time, more and more new weapons get into Ukraine, ”said the head of the committee.
Earlier, on September 9, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the alliance would deploy new forces on the eastern border and send a signal to Russia that it was ready to defend its territory. He stated this following a meeting with US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
On September 3, Patrick Buchanan, editor-in-chief of The American Conservative, called NATO’s eastward expansion a mistake. In his opinion, the actions of the United States led to the beginning of a new stage of the Cold War with Moscow and the rapprochement of the Russian Federation and China.
At the same time, on August 16, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that the military activities of NATO member countries had taken the form of an absolutely anti-Russian orientation. He stressed that significant forces from the United States have already been deployed to the continent, and the number of coalition troops in Eastern and Central Europe has grown significantly.
On the same day, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the collective West was purposefully destroying the European security system. The Russian leader pointed out that NATO is now moving east, building up its military infrastructure there, deploying missile defense systems and increasing the strike capabilities of offensive forces. He added that in order to maintain hegemony, the alliance needs conflicts.
Earlier, in June, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the countries of Europe and NATO are uniting for a war with Russia. He stressed that Moscow will follow the steps that Brussels, as well as Kyiv and Chisinau, will take after they are granted candidate status for joining the European Union.
