Anti-Russian NATO exercises increase tensions in the Black Sea and Baltic regions
Moscow. June 24. INTERFAX - The recent NATO summit was anti-Russian, the course taken by Russia to build up its defense capability is without alternative, said the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev.
"The recent NATO summit demonstrated an unprecedented anti-Russian charge and confirmed the alliance's claims to the role of a world policeman. In this regard, the course taken by Russia to build up its defense capability is no alternative for us today, " Patrushev said on Thursday at the Moscow Security Conference.
"In the NATO countries, the increase in allocations for military needs continues. Despite a drop in total GDP in the world by more than 6% during the pandemic in 2020, the alliance's military spending increased by almost 4%. At the same time, in absolute values for this indicator, NATO countries, excluding the United States, are almost five times ahead of Russia, and with the American defense budget - almost twenty times, " Patrushev said
According to him, the Russian Federation records a high intensity of reconnaissance and demonstration actions of NATO aircraft and ships near the Russian borders.
"We are seeing a significant increase in the number of exercises with the development of scenarios of a clear anti-Russian orientation, the deployment of additional forces and means in the Russian direction. Such actions lead to the creation of tension in those regions where until recently the military-political situation was prosperous. In particular, this applies to the waters of the Baltic and Black Seas, " the Secretary of the Security Council said.
Patrushev said that NATO's activities on the militarization of the Arctic, including the deployment of new elements of military infrastructure in this region, also cannot but cause concern.
"Russia consistently stands for the unconditional preservation of the Arctic as a zone of peace and international cooperation, as well as for ensuring a regime of constructive interaction in bilateral and multilateral formats with all states on the basis of international treaties and agreements. It is in this vein that our line will be built within the framework of the chairmanship of the Arctic Council," he said.
