NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Western countries needed to prepare for a conflict with Russia to last “decades” and therefore urgently needed to ramp up arms production.
“NATO does not want war with Russia. But we must prepare for a conflict that could last for decades,” Stoltenberg warned in a statement this weekend. interview with the German one Wert am Sonntag newspaper.
Therefore, the NATO chief called on Western countries to increase the production of arms and ammunition, arguing that this is the only way to guarantee Europe’s security and allow Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance, to continue the war with Russia. . Stoltenberg declared that European market economy countries need to sign more contracts with defense contractors, arguing that they “need to sign them faster.”
“The economic and industrial power of the Western countries is far below Russia. Therefore, we have the means to surpass Russia both in production and investment,” said the former Norwegian prime minister, adding that if we miss the opportunity now, Russia He explained that this would benefit Europe and put European security at risk.
In an interview with American journalist Tucker Carlson, Russian President Vladimir Putin insists that Russia has no intention of invading Poland, acknowledging that such a move could spark World War III. Despite this, Stoltenberg warned that “even if Putin wins in Ukraine, there is no guarantee that Russia will invade Poland.” The invasion will not spread to other countries. ”
Therefore, the best defense for Europe is to invest in the armed forces of Ukraine and NATO countries, he argued, adding that “deterrence only works if we can trust it. As long as we remain united, we will continue to deter all forms of aggression.”
Top security forum warns that Europe is ‘entering an era of war’ https://t.co/nl9Xw9zLt4
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) December 19, 2023
The left-wing globalist politician said he recognized that many European countries would prefer to spend money on socialized medicine, welfare programs and education, but added that “our schools, hospitals, and industry also have military That’s why it’s important that we continue to invest in security.”
Many European countries, including Germany, the continent’s top economy, have long failed to meet NATO spending commitments that require all member states to spend at least 2 percent of their GDP on military funding.
The issue was persistently raised by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who accused Germany of entering into major oil and gas deals with Russia, while criticizing the United States for defending Germany from a potential Russian invasion. required taxpayers to cover the costs.
President Trump’s lobbying efforts to pressure NATO allies to finally meet their obligations have often been characterized in traditional media as threatening the alliance’s stability; credited In 2019, Secretary General Stoltenberg said he helped persuade Europe and Canada to increase NATO spending by $100 billion.
President Donald Trump said he would “encourage” Russia to attack NATO members that don’t pay their bills. https://t.co/skp3jzdZXT pic.twitter.com/Z2dh30u400
— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 11, 2024
This week, the former president once again drew the ire of traditional media over a story he said at a campaign rally in South Carolina about his interaction with the president of a NATO member state.
President Trump warned unnamed leaders that if they fail to meet their North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) obligations, they will not abide by Article 5 of the Alliance Treaty, which requires all nations to defend attacked member states. he told the audience.Trump continued: relay He told the unnamed president that he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever they want” under such circumstances.
Although clearly speaking in the past tense, multiple Establishment News outlets characterized the story as a current and active call by the would-be Republican presidential candidate for Russia to invade Europe.
Trump’s anecdote was also likely simply an illustration of the “madman theory” that observers have long advocated, applied to foreign relations. I got it. It was a hallmark of his presidency.
This strategy, first described by Italian Renaissance political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli and formalized by U.S. President Richard Nixon, suggests that other leaders act on your impulses and achieve your goals. It stipulates that if they believe they are willing to go to extremes to achieve something, they are more likely to succumb. to your request. In a clear sign of the strategy’s success, President Trump claimed at a rally on Saturday that “money has flowed” into NATO following a stern warning against an anonymous leader.
Stoltenberg had previously credited President Trump’s strategy for increasing military spending in Europe, but the NATO chief on Sunday condemned the former president’s comments. saying: “Any suggestion that allies will not defend each other undermines all of our national security, including that of the United States, and puts American and European soldiers at further risk.”
Trump vindicated: Germany finally pays NATO spending requirementshttps://t.co/qvavqZm45k
— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) February 28, 2022
