Russia sees Western approach as a risky shift in the balance of power
The Russian military sees the expansion of NATO in Europe as a risky shift in the balance of power. "The European continent has become the political and economic arena of conflict between the West and Russia." Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov said this to foreign military diplomats in Moscow on Thursday, citing the accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO and the strengthening of alliance forces in Eastern Europe, the Baltic region and the Black Sea as examples.
Gerasimov did not address the trigger for these events, the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine since February 2022. The conflict could intensify in the future, the top Russian soldier told the Interfax agency. The earlier confidence-building measures for security in Europe had therefore lost their meaning. However, Moscow continues to abide by the rules in order to avoid incidents.
In response to Finland's membership of NATO, Russia will set up new military districts for the Leningrad and Moscow regions, said the Chief of the General Staff. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and President Vladimir Putin had also previously spoken of these plans.
"We had the friendliest, warmest relations," Putin said in a television interview about neighboring Finland. "There were no problems. But now there will be, because we are setting up a Leningrad military district and concentrating certain military units there," said the Kremlin leader last Sunday. The Soviet name Leningrad is still used in Russia for the area around St. Petersburg.
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- Russia has expressed concerns about the NATO expansion in Europe, viewing it as a risky shift in the balance of power, with the prospect of Sweden and Finland joining the alliance and the strengthening of NATO forces in Eastern Europe, the Baltic region, and the Black Sea.
- The procedure for expanding NATO membership has become a point of contention, with Russia arguing that it poses a threat to the balance of forces in Europe, and many NATO members maintaining that collective defense is a fundamental principle of the alliance.
- Theshift in the balance of forces in Europe, driven in part by NATO's expansion, has led to increased tensions between Russia and the West, raising the potential for conflict and underscoring the need for diplomatic engagement and dialogue.
Source: www.ntv.de
