NATO has no plans to attack Russia, US envoy says amid Kaliningrad threats
US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker (photo: Getty Images)
NATO is a purely defensive alliance and does not seek to attack Russia or threaten its interests. At the same time, the allies are prepared to defend every inch of their territory against possible aggression, US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker said in an interview with CNBC.
According to the US diplomat, the defensive nature of the Alliance has been clearly communicated to the Russian side, despite the threatening letters Moscow has sent to the bloc.
He stressed that the Kremlin's current aggressive behavior is driven by its lack of success on the battlefield in Ukraine, prompting Russia to try to channel its aggression outward.
"We will defend every inch of NATO territory. But at the same time, we are not offensive-oriented. We are not looking to attack Russia or anyway, put, you know, sort of its interests in compromise," Whitaker said.
The US representative stressed that NATO will continue working actively to strengthen its defense capabilities and be even better prepared to defend its members in the future.
The Russian Embassy in Ireland said that Moscow was ready to use its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons, if NATO countries attempted to blockade the region.
Later, Russian leader Vladimir Putin commented on diplomatic signals toward NATO and claimed that the letters to the Alliance were not intended as intimidation but were merely a response to attempts to intimidate Russia.
At the same time, he threatened to use all types of weapons in the event of a direct attack on the Kaliningrad region.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov made a similar statement, confirming that Russia could use its nuclear arsenal in response to the alleged threat of a blockade of Kaliningrad.
