NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has justified the renewed armament against Russia on the 70th anniversary of the military alliance. The greatest reinforcement of collective defense in decades has not been to provoke conflict, but to avoid conflict and preserve peace, Stoltenberg said in a speech to the US Congress in Washington. It is Russia that has stationed new medium-range missiles in Europe and annexed the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea.
Russia is trying to enforce its interests more and more. These included violations of the INF Atomic Energy Missile Treaty. Although NATO has no plans to station land-based nuclear missiles in Europe. However, the Alliance will "always take the necessary steps to provide a credible and effective deterrent".
At the same time, Stoltenberg made it clear that NATO would continue to seek dialogue with Russia. "We do not want to isolate Russia," he said. The Alliance is seeking a better relationship and will continue to talk with Russia. "We do not want a new arms race, we do not want a new Cold War," said Stoltenberg.
Stoltenberg again and strongly supported US President Donald Trump's call for increased Allied defense spending. "NATO is a strong alliance, but in order to remain a strong alliance, NATO must be a fair alliance," he said. Stoltenberg warned: "The NATO allies must spend more on defense." This is the clear message of Trump and this show effect. The NATO allies have meanwhile invested significantly more in the defense. "That makes NATO stronger."
In the video: Trump, Germany and NATO
REUTERS
In an ideal world, it would not be necessary to spend money on defense, he stressed. "But we do not live in an ideal world." There are enemies of freedom that would have to be deterred. "And if the deterrence does not succeed, we have to fight." It is not enough to wish for a peaceful world. "We have to act - and invest - to make them."