Brussels. August 10. INTERFAX - The North Atlantic Alliance is not set up for confrontation with Russia and does not pose a threat to it, says US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.
"Let's be clear. We do not seek confrontation and do not pose a threat to Russia. Our renewed presence only reflects our continued serious commitment to the fifth article of the alliance charter, which states that an attack on one NATO ally is an attack on every NATO ally," Austin said at a press conference with Latvian Defense Minister Artis Pabriks on Wednesday.
Thus, he commented on his words that "NATO is strengthening external defense and increasing the number of combat units in the eastern part of the alliance." He noted that the United States is also increasing its presence on the eastern flank of the alliance.
The day before, US President Joe Biden signed documents ratifying the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO from Washington.
The US President suggested that Russia was hoping for a weakening of NATO. "They wanted to see the Finlandization of NATO, and instead they got NATO in Finland," Biden said.
In order to fully ratify the membership of these countries, it is necessary that all member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance approve the relevant documents at the national level.
At the beginning of 2022, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Finland and Sweden, if they applied for membership in NATO, would be able to quickly join the alliance. Stoltenberg explained that Finland and Sweden are close partners of the alliance, NATO and these countries conduct joint exercises and trainings. In addition, according to the Secretary General, these countries meet many standards of the alliance, and Helsinki and Stockholm have well-functioning institutions in the field of defense and security.
