NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on the alliance’s member states on Saturday to prepare for a possible decades-long confrontation with Russia and build up their military capabilities.
“NATO is not seeking a war with Russia… But we should arm ourselves for a possible confrontation that could last decades,” Stoltenberg was quoted by German newspaper Die Welt as saying.
The NATO chief also expressed his belief that the best defence in such a case was to support Ukraine and invest in the alliance’s military structure.
Russia has on many occasions said that NATO is aiming for confrontation with Russia. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has stated that the bloc considers Russia to be an enemy and was created as an instrument of confrontation and deterrence against Russia, adding that Moscow is building its policy in accordance with these realities.
