Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has accused US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin of suggesting a plan that could lead to NATO will fight Russia.
Lavrov claimed that Austin hinted at this plan during a hearing, indicating that if Russia wins its war in Ukraine, NATO might take aggressive action against Russia.
This came after Austin warned that Putin might escalate tensions if Russia succeeds in Ukraine. Austin suggested that Putin’s actions could provoke a conflict with NATO, possibly targeting Baltic countries like Latvia, Lithuania, or Estonia. Putin has also claimed that NATO is preparing to attack Russia.
Lavrov’s remarks were made in response to Austin’s comments during a House Armed Services Committee hearing, where Austin warned that Putin’s actions could lead to a head-on conflict with NATO nations.
Austin expressed concerns that if Russia triumphs in its war with Kyiv, Putin might become more aggressive in the region. These remarks come amidst speculation about Putin’s health, with some suggesting he may be concealing Parkinson’s disease, based on claims made by a former spy.
Tensions between Russia and NATO have been escalating, with both sides accusing each other of aggressive intentions.
While Lavrov accuses the US of devising plans for NATO to attack Russia, Putin has claimed that NATO is preparing for a strike against his country. These exchanges of accusations further fuel the already heightened tensions between Russia and the West.
Austin said: “If you’re a Baltic state, you’re really worried about whether or not you’re next. They know Putin, they know what he’s capable of. And quite frankly, if Ukraine falls, I really believe that NATO will be in a fight with Russia.”
Lavrov claimed in a diplomatic conference in Antalya on Friday that Austin had unintentionally “blurred out” American plans to have NATO attack Russia.
Lavrov said: “The meaning of this statement is that if Ukraine loses, NATO will have to go against Russia. In a Freudian slip he blurted out what they had in mind. Before that, everyone was saying: We can’t let Ukraine lose, because [Russian President Vladimir] Putin will not stop at this and will take over the Baltics, Poland, Finland.”
“But it turns out, according to Mr. Austin’s open, unambiguous statement, it’s the other way round. We do not have such plans and cannot have them, but the Americans do,” he added.
Also Read | Joe Rogan predicts Elon Musk’s Tesla robot Optimus ‘kills everybody’ in dystopian horror
Article Five of the NATO’s founding treaty, the North Atlantic Treaty, emphasizes “the principle of collective defense” and states that “an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America” will be considered as “an attack against them all,” indicating that the NATO alliance will attack Russia if one of the Baltic states are in danger as Austin warned.
Article Five of the NATO’s founding treaty, the North Atlantic Treaty, emphasizes “the principle of collective defense” and states that “an armed attack against one or more of them in Europe or North America” will be considered as “an attack against them all,” indicating that the NATO alliance will attack Russia if one of the Baltic states are in danger as Austin warned.
The former minister also accused the Biden administration of “dragging Ukraine into NATO,” according to TASS.
Ukraine and some of its strongest advocates within NATO have been pushing the military alliance to formally invite Kyiv to become a member for more than a decade.
Jon Stoltenberg said in a statement last week that he advocates for Ukraine‘s membership in NATO, adding that Kyiv is “now closer to NATO than ever before.”
The foreign minister also accused the White House of devising a plan to blow up the Nord Stream gas pipeline in order to strengthen its own economy, and at the same time, undermine the European Union’s.
Also Read | American Mascot ban proposed for K-12 schools in Illinois
Lavrov said: “All major expenses have been shifted to Europe. People are living increasingly worse, energy resources have rocketed in price manyfold, compared with what it could have been if the Americans had not blown up the Nord Stream gas pipelines.”
He claimed that because of US policy, Europe is no longer a “competitor” or “too strong of a rival.”
Lavrov added: “All the main businesses and manufacturing industry are moving to the US, where conditions are completely different and energy is much cheaper.”
This latest statement is a continuation of heightened tension between Putin and NATO, who have since the onset of Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine over two years ago.
Putin and other Kremlin leaders’ have repeatedly expressed their concerns about NATO expansion months prior to the invasion, which they claimed was triggered by a “provocation” of the Western military alliance.
The Kremlin’s concerns about NATO expanding its European borders have mounted, with Finland becoming a member last year and Sweden – its membership have been recently approved by Hungary – is poised to join the alliance sometime this year.
Putin said during his annual State of the Nation address on Thursday that any deployment of Western troops to Ukraine could lead to nuclear conflict.
“We have all the tools for this that no one else can boast of having,” Putin warned, seemingly referring to nuclear weapons. “We won’t boast about it: We will use them if needed and I want everyone to know that. We have already taken all the decisions on this.”
