- Sputnik International
World
Get the latest news from around the world, live coverage, off-beat stories, features and analysis.

NATO Chief's Anti-Russian Quip 'Indicates His Intention to Hide Truth'

© AFP 2023 / THIERRY CHARLIERNATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg delivers a press conference after a NATO defence ministers' meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on October 27, 2016
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg delivers a press conference after a NATO defence ministers' meeting at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on October 27, 2016 - Sputnik International
Subscribe
The NATO chief urging Russia "to relax" in connection with the alliance's eastward expansion clearly indicates NATO's aggressive intentions, geopolitics expert Konstantin Sokolov told Sputnik.

A man waves an anti NATO and EU flag during an anti NATO rally in downtown Belgrade, Serbia, March 27, 2016. - Sputnik International
NATO Wages Anti-Russia 'Info War' as It Fails to Protect Europe From Terror
In an interview with Sputnik, Konstantin Sokolov said that by advising Russia "to relax" in light of NATO's eastward expansion the alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg clearly showed NATO's aggressive intentions.

Speaking to students at the Oxford University earlier this week, Stoltenberg said, in particular, that Moscow has misunderstood NATO's expansion to the east, according to RIA Novosti

He added that he does not "get it when someone in Russia says that NATO's expansion in the Central and Eastern Europe is a provocation; it's not about NATO, it's about Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary expressing their will to join the alliance." 

He went even further by saying that "Russia should relax and accept the fact that the neighbors can choose their own way."

Konstantin Sokolov, for his part, did not mince words when commenting on Stoltenberg's rhetoric.

"Mr. Stoltenberg advised us 'to relax.' When a senior official uses similar slang, it indicates his intention to hide the truth. As a military leader he should have said clearly that NATO forces are actually approaching the Russian borders and that Russia should retaliate. With the West calling Russia 'an aggressor', Stoltenberg hides NATO's aggressive actions behind this rhetoric," Sokolov said.

According to him, Stoltenberg returning to the issue of NATO's eastward expansion can be seen as propaganda.

"Of course, his latest public statement on Russia is first and foremost propaganda and the creation of a certain public opinion rather than an action plan for the military. That's why Stoltenberg has to turn to history, otherwise these issues can become arguments against NATO's expansion," Sokolov said.

Leer-2 radio countermeasures complex presented - Sputnik International
Russia's New Electronic Warfare System Capable of Disrupting NATO Communications
Earlier this week, the Russian President's spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "Russia is doing all that is necessary to protect itself against the backdrop of NATO's aggressive expansion toward its borders."

Since 2014, NATO has been building up its military presence in Europe, especially in Eastern European countries neighboring Russia, using Moscow's alleged interference in the Ukrainian conflict as a pretext.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the claims, warning NATO that the military buildup on Russia's borders is provocative and threatens the existing strategic balance of power.

Newsfeed
0
To participate in the discussion
log in or register
loader
Chats
Заголовок открываемого материала