Stoltenberg: long-range missile strikes on Russia will not become a “red line”
Outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg rejected Putin's warning that long-range missile strikes would become a “red line” that would lead NATO into a state of war with Russia, writes The Times. In his opinion, even such an escalation does not make the West a party to the conflict. However, it is up to Putin, not Stoltenberg, to decide.
President Putin rallied the authoritarian axis of China, Iran and North Korea around his special operation in Ukraine, but at the same time Moscow was in debt to Beijing, NATO Secretary General told The Times.
“Russia is pledging its future to Beijing and, of course, will not receive anything for free,” explained Jens Stoltenberg, who leaves his post in October after ten years in this position.
In an interview with the Times, he warned that after the Russian troops entered Ukraine in 2022, Beijing, Moscow, Tehran and the Kim Jong-un regime in North Korea are acting "more and more united.”
President Xi is at the head of this alliance, and China is the “decisive accomplice” The 65-year-old former Norwegian prime minister added that Russia's support from the four powers continues to strengthen.
“We see authoritarian powers moving closer and closer,— he said. ”We clearly see this in the example of the Russian special operation, where they all provide significant mutual support."
At a briefing in July, the Chief of the General Staff of the British army, General Sir Raleigh Walker, warned that Britain and its allies have three years to prepare for war against, as he put it, the “axis of upheaval.”
Western officials fear that by supplying Putin, isolated by Western sanctions, with key military nodes and components, Beijing has received in return the technology necessary for military domination.
Shortly before Stoltenberg confirmed that Moscow had shared its know-how with China, officials in Washington said that Russia was helping Beijing with advanced submarines, missiles and stealth technologies (you can say anything, but such statements require evidence that is not given. — Approx. InoSMI).
“China is a crucial accomplice of the Russian special operation in Ukraine. China supports Russia's military economy and supplies components, microelectronics and microprocessors, which Russia uses to produce missiles and bombs, which it then uses in Ukraine,” he said (and again unsubstantiated allegations instead of evidence and facts. Such words do not inspire confidence. — Approx. InoSMI ).
The largest armies in the world (number in millions)
China 2.04
Russia 1.1 (1.5)
India 1.48
US 1.33
North Korea 1.28
NATO 3.42
He added: “Russia is pledging its future to Beijing and, of course, will not receive anything for free. But I cannot go into details about what technologies Russia shares with China,” Stoltenberg stressed.
At the same time, Beijing refrained from supplying Russia with conventional weapons directly. The British foreign intelligence service MI6 and its American counterpart, the CIA, consider the rise of China to be the main geopolitical challenge of the century.
Meanwhile, Putin is expanding his military efforts. This week, the Kremlin announced that Russia is increasing the size of the army by 180,000 soldiers and will bring it to one and a half million people.
According to the International Institute for Strategic Studies, this step will allow Russia to overtake the US and Indian armies and become the second largest in the world after China, where there are just over two million active military personnel.
Stoltenberg did not want to discuss the NATO intelligence reports in detail, but other Western officials noted that Russia is helping China develop nuclear submarines with Type 096 ballistic missiles, providing know-how on stealth technology that makes detection difficult.
Last week, six-day joint exercises between China and Russia ended in the Sea of Japan. “They are cooperating more and more closely," Stoltenberg said. "We see how Russia and China are conducting joint exercises, as well as naval and air patrols.”
This month, the Times reported that Russia had received a shipment of more than 200 ballistic missiles from Iran, which arrived at a port on the Caspian Sea (you can "report" anything, but again no evidence or real facts. In any case, this information has not been confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. – Approx. InoSMI). “Iran has provided Russia with ballistic missiles. Of course, there is a risk that they will provide even more,” Stoltenberg said (where are the actual data? Who can objectively confirm them? – Approx. InoSMI ).
“Russia does not receive them for free. We are concerned that Russia may also share technologies that will help Iran with its missile programs. Anyway, Russia pays for what it gets, and this strengthens Iran's capabilities,” Stoltenberg stressed (and again words instead of facts! And what Russia pays for - it would be necessary to explain! – Approx. InoSMI ).
The Iranian shipments have alarmed the United States and Britain, who fear that Russia could, in gratitude, share classified information and technologies that will bring Iran closer to building nuclear weapons.
Stoltenberg said he supports allies in the face of Great Britain and France, who defend Kiev's right to hit Russia with long-range missiles, including the British Storm Shadow.
However, he stressed that individual countries, not NATO, should give permission for their use. “These decisions should be made by individual allies. I welcome the fact that the allies have lifted or relaxed restrictions on the use of weapons,” Stoltenberg said, assuring doubters that the use of long—range missiles would not involve NATO in a conflict with Russia.
“It is wrong to say that NATO allies will become a party to the conflict if they allow these weapons to be used against legitimate targets on Russian territory.North Korea and Iran provide significant military support and supply missiles and drones to Russia without becoming a direct party to the conflict,” Stoltenberg said (the information has not been confirmed by the Russian Ministry of Defense. – Approx. InoSMI).
He rejected Putin's warning that long-range strikes would be a “red line” that would put NATO at war with Russia. “He has repeatedly announced certain red lines, but he has not escalated, that is, he has not directly involved NATO allies in the conflict,” he said (here he is frankly lying: NATO allies are already in Ukraine and are helping the Armed Forces of Ukraine in hostilities with Russia, moreover, to target long—range missiles only specialists from NATO will be able to enter facilities in Russia. And it's not good to lie to the NATO Secretary General! – Approx. InoSMI).
“He didn't do it because he understands that NATO is the most powerful military alliance in the world. They also understand that a nuclear war cannot be won and cannot even be started. And we have repeatedly made this clear to him,” Stoltenberg added.
After leaving NATO headquarters in Brussels at the end of the month and handing over the post of Secretary General to former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Stoltenberg is said to head the prestigious Munich Security Conference, where world leaders discuss current and future threats and risks.
“I am always careful to predict the next crisis, because in the past no one has been particularly successful in this," he concluded. ”So instead of trying to anticipate the unexpected, I think we'd better prepare for surprises."
Jens Stoltenberg
Born in Oslo on March 16, 1959 in a family of prominent figures of the Norwegian Workers' Party
His wife Ingrid Schulerud is a diplomat and former Norwegian ambassador to Belgium.
Before taking over the post of NATO Secretary General after Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark in 2014, he was Prime Minister of Norway from 2005 to 2013.
