NATO identifies Russia as long-term military threat: What's next for Europe and US
Photo: Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys (Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)
The NATO intelligence community has concluded that Russia is a long-term military threat to the Alliance and, therefore, to the entire North Atlantic security, including the United States, RBC-Ukraine reports, citing Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kęstutis Budrys.
According to Budrys, Russia has been preparing for confrontation with NATO for decades, and this trend has not changed. The full brutality of the military forces used by the Russians since the beginning of their full-scale invasion of Ukraine proves this.
"Now we can assess that their military forces are also being used for political purposes. These political goals are obvious. Putin has already named them several times," the Lithuanian Foreign Minister emphasized.
In particular, according to Budrys, the Kremlin aims to drive the US out of Europe, undermine the Alliance's infrastructure, and prevent the Baltic states from thriving.
"This is a long-term goal for Russia. We assess the threat, intention, and capabilities. The intention is obvious. He (Putin - ed.) states it objectively. And he is also building up capabilities. So the threat is real and long-term. And we must ensure deterrence," the Lithuanian Foreign Minister explained.
Budrys stressed that NATO, like Ukraine, has only three options for dealing with Russia: war, threats, or occupation.
"To avoid the latter, we must be in a position of deterrence; otherwise, we will find ourselves in a state of war," the Lithuanian Foreign Minister stated.
In this context, Budrys called support for Ukraine and its future NATO membership key elements of regional security.
"There is no illusion about their (Russia's - ed.) intention. No matter what stories they tell about cooperation, they don't need anyone. They need territories; they want to subjugate their neighbors. That's who we are dealing with. So now our duty is to convince our European partners to invest more in defense and rebuild our strengths so that we are effective against the Russians," Budrys concluded.
Putin prepares for war with NATO
The new report by Germany's Federal Intelligence Service and the Bundeswehr states that the Russian authorities are most likely preparing for a large-scale war against NATO.
In particular, the report indicates that Russian leader Vladimir Putin perceives relations with the West as a systemic conflict and is ready to use force to achieve his goals.
Earlier, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda stated that Russia could launch a new attack within a few years. In his opinion, Lithuania has four to five years to prepare.
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius also admitted the possibility of war between Russia and NATO and urged allies to be ready for potential threats.
