NATO Secretary General: Russia is becoming increasingly unpredictable and aggressive
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated in an interview with the German publication Welt am Sonntag that he believes the Alliance should increase its defense capabilities and willingness to act due to Russia's unpredictability.
He noted that NATO is ready to respond in case of an attack on any member of the Alliance; at the same time the Alliance does not seek war, rather advocating a policy of deterrence.
"We are always ready to respond when an ally is attacked militarily. We want credible deterrence. We don’t want any war. Our goal is de-escalation," added Stoltenberg, noting that Russia is becoming "more unpredictable and more aggressive."
“We can always do more and must reflect on that now. Salisbury follows, by all appearances, a pattern we’ve observed for some years – Russia is becoming more unpredictable and more aggressive," Stoltenberg said.
He also added that NATO is preparing for a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council format, and that the meeting may address the topic of hybrid war.
"I think Chancellor Merkel and her colleagues will face new decisions at the NATO summit in July in Brussels," the NATO Secretary General said.
Stoltenberg strongly condemned the poisoning of the former GRU officer Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia, calling the incident the “first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War."