NATO will declare Russia a security threat to the whole world, to stability and to the bloc itself.

This was stated by the Secretary General of the Alliance Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with the tabloid Bild am Sonntag.

According to him, this will be announced during the NATO summit, which will be held in Madrid next week, where it is planned to adopt a new strategic concept for the alliance.

“When the world changes, NATO also changes.

And the world has become more dangerous.

We will announce that Russia is no longer a partner, but a threat to our security, peace and stability," Stoltenberg said, answering a journalist's question about how NATO "will treat" Russia in the future.

The bloc's secretary general also said that the alliance had already given "a clear signal to Moscow so that there would be no misunderstanding" about the bloc's readiness for defense.

After that, Stoltenberg said that the North Atlantic Alliance "will continue to support Ukraine", but does not consider itself "part of the conflict."

“We are helping the country, but we will not send NATO troops to Ukraine,” the head of the alliance said. 

At the same time, when asked by a journalist whether the West should “be afraid of nuclear weapons” of Russia, Stoltenberg said that NATO does not see an increase in the level of readiness of Russian nuclear forces.

“Nevertheless, Russian nuclear rattling is dangerous and irresponsible.

Putin must know that a nuclear war cannot be won, it must never be unleashed.

Our clear signal to Russia is that NATO protects all member countries,” said the Secretary General of the alliance.

  • NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg

  • AP

  • © Olivier Matthys

Earlier, on June 10, NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana told the Copenhagen Democracy Summit that NATO's new strategic concept would reflect the era of great power rivalry.

It will recognize that Russia has become "one of the most important challenges" to NATO security in Europe and beyond.

Anti-Russian way

Recall that at the moment the strategic concept of NATO "Active participation, modern defense", promulgated in November 2010, is in force.

The document states that cooperation with Russia for NATO "is of strategic importance", as it contributes to the creation of "a common space of peace, stability and security."

“NATO does not pose a threat to Russia.

On the contrary, we want to see a truly strategic partnership between NATO and Russia, and we will act accordingly, expecting reciprocity from Russia, ”the current strategy says.

It also notes that the relationship between NATO and Russia is based on the purposes, principles and commitments contained in the NATO-Russia Founding Act, signed in May 1997.

At the same time, in August 2017, the United States passed the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), including Russia among those very opponents.

In 2018, the Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) was published in Washington, which emphasized the need for a "regional containment" of the Russian Federation.

According to the drafters of the document, the Russian side "should understand that any use of nuclear weapons, however limited, is unacceptable."

At the same time, the document declared Washington's right to use its nuclear arsenal in response to a "significant non-nuclear strategic attack", in particular, if it affects the infrastructure, population or command posts of the United States and its allies.

In March 2021, the new administration of the 46th President of the United States, Joe Biden, published the country's interim strategic national security guide, in which Russia was already directly designated as a "threat" to the United States, since it was allegedly determined to "strengthen its global influence and play a destabilizing role on world stage."

Moscow has repeatedly denied the aggressive intentions attributed to it.

According to the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, "the main enemy of the United States will be considered all those who will compete with them in any field."

“Accordingly, containment of Russia is the same goal, the same task: not to give our country the opportunity to compete on an equal footing, to be ahead of something on an equal footing, to compete on an equal footing in something, again, on an international legal, legal basis. basis," the diplomat stressed. 

It is worth noting that at the end of 2021, both the United States and NATO refused to discuss the security guarantees proposed by the Russian Federation and related documents, which, in particular, included a clause on the non-expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance.

"Directed against Russia"

According to Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of Moscow State Pedagogical University, Vladimir Shapovalov, Stoltenberg's statement about the alliance's intention to call Russia a "threat" is a continuation of the anti-Russian course towards expansion and establishing its dominance in the world, which NATO has been pursuing for the past 30 years.

“In fact, the threat to the world is not Russia, but NATO, led by the United States, which is the unspoken leader in the bloc.

The Alliance has carried out in its interests more than one major military campaign in territories that do not even border with its countries.

In addition, the bloc is constantly expanding its ranks and closer to the borders of the Russian Federation, increasing its pressure.

Next in line are Sweden and Finland, which borders Russia.

Therefore, Stoltenberg's statement about the alleged "threat" from the Russian Federation is absolutely untrue, ”the expert said in an interview with RT.

  • NATO flags

  • Legion Media

  • © Panama Pictures

According to Shapovalov, Russia has long been a “threat and adversary” for NATO countries at an unofficial level, but now the bloc intends to document the status of the Russian Federation.

“Earlier, it was simply not said publicly, but in fact, all NATO actions over the past decades have been directed against Russia.

Despite the fact that the Cold War ended, the military alliance was not dissolved and began to more specifically oppose the Russian Federation, ”the analyst noted.

According to Shapovalov, ranking Russia among the "threats" to the whole world, NATO demonstrates its hostile attitude towards the Russian Federation.

And if such changes are made to the documents of the alliance, the complex relations between NATO and Russia will reach a new, already official level.

“This means that all masks will be dropped and the anti-Russian essence of NATO policy will become absolutely open,” the expert said.

At the same time, Shapovalov believes that neither the United States nor Europe will decide on a direct armed conflict with Russia, since it has an extremely "powerful deterrent."

“This is the Russian military potential, with which the Russian Federation can adequately respond to any threats.

But, of course, Stoltenberg’s statement that Russia is a “threat” and further regulatory documents on this topic will lead to a sharp escalation of tension between the Russian Federation and the bloc and to an even greater increase in anti-Russian sentiment and the militarization of NATO, ”the analyst believes.

In addition, the countries of the bloc will continue to try to harm Russia through sanctions and pumping Ukraine with weapons, Shapovalov believes.

“We are talking, in fact, about a proxy war at the hands of representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and sanctions pressure on the Russian Federation.

But the fact is that the hostile actions that the Western countries are taking against Russia harm the NATO states themselves.

However, the same EU countries have a subordinate position in the dialogue with the United States, and therefore are forced to bear enormous losses due to anti-Russian measures, ”the expert is sure.

In turn, Konstantin Blokhin, a leading researcher at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, expressed the opinion that statements about the “Russian threat” in the West had been heard very often before, but “the rhetoric was not so harsh.”

“If before that, in strategic planning documents, Russia was designated as an adversary of the United States, now this will be recorded in the documents not only of NATO, but also of its member countries.

The bloc will have a consolidated position towards the Russian Federation: if it is not a partner, then it is an enemy.

We are talking about legitimizing the notorious Russian threat,” the analyst said.

Blokhin also believes that Russia, despite the higher degree of escalation, if its new status in the form of a “threat” is fixed in NATO documents, in reality, nothing will be lost.

“There was no relationship between the parties anyway.

The bloc did not want to hear from Moscow and come to the adoption of joint security guarantees.

Moreover, unfriendly actions were taken against the Russian Federation by the bloc all the time.

NATO will increase psychological pressure on Russia, as well as increase the number of harsh statements in order to scare the Russian Federation.

However, no one in the West intends to start a direct confrontation with Russia.

They are well aware of the Russian military potential and do not want to take such risks, ”the expert concluded.