“NATO will now more aggressively claim a role in the north. They will say that the north is vulnerable, the Arctic interests of the alliance are vulnerable. That we need more exercises, we need penetration into the Arctic. That the struggle for resources will definitely intensify,” Grushko said.
The Deputy Minister emphasized that all these issues are being resolved within the framework of the relevant UN structures.
“But this, again, we are talking about using this stage of expansion as an additional tool of confrontation with Russia. The line of physical contact between Russia and NATO is increasing by 1.2 thousand km, almost doubling. Additional vulnerabilities are created for the alliance itself for obvious reasons. But the alliance must cover these vulnerabilities; the military machine is working,” the interlocutor continued.
As Grushko noted, both the Swedes and the Finns are therefore increasing their military spending exponentially, buying American weapons, “this whole machine is working.”
“Does all this meet European interests, simply the interests of peace and security in this region? Of course not. But this is in American interests. And this is the main thing,” concluded the deputy minister.
Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a message to the Federal Assembly, announced plans to seriously strengthen the Russian Armed Forces in the western direction in connection with the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO.