Lavrov speaks out against NATO at UN

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Russia's defense spending was less that $50 billion in 2018.

Lavrov says NATO's defense spending stood at around $1 trillion last year

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MOSCOW, July 18, 3029 - NATO's military expenses stood at around $1 trillion in 2018, while Russia's defense spending was less than $50 billion, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with German newspaper Rheinische Post.

"I want to note that periods of 'freezing relations' between Russia and NATO happened before — for instance, after the aggression of the Alliance against Yugoslavia in 1999, as well as after an armed adventure of Mikheil Saakashvili's regime in South Ossetia in 2008. Those crises were overcome," Lavrov said. "In 2002, a Patica di Mari Declaration was signed at a meeting in Rome about the new quality of cooperation, and the Russia-NATO Council was established. In 2010, the Lisbon summit of the Russia-NATO Council took place, where the task was set to take bilateral relations to the level of strategic partnership," he added.

However, the situation has changed, Lavrov noted. "Under the pressure from Washington which pursues its own geopolitical goals, NATO countries are conducting aggressive anti-Russian policies. Military spending is increased without any justification. In 2018, US spent over $700 billion on this, while NATO as a whole spent around $1 trillion, while Russia only spent less than $50 billion," the foreign minister said.

NATO is building up its military presence near Russia's borders, which increases risks of unintended incidents and leads to military-political escalation, Lavrov noted. "From the point of view of strengthening NATO's defense potential, the decisions to accept such countries as Montenegro and North Macedonia into its ranks seems absolutely illogical," he stressed.

"This is definitely not what is needed today for maintaining security and stability in Europe," Lavrov concluded.
 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that "it is necessary to establish regular contact between military experts in the Russia-NATO Council".

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It is the alliance that should initiate the normalization of relations, as well as the resumption of the Russia-@NATO Council’s work at the top level. We are prepared to go as far as our colleagues are ready to go.

Russia calls on NATO to establish regular contacts between military experts

MOSCOW, July 18, 2019 - Moscow calls on NATO to establish regular contacts between military experts in the framework of the Russia-NATO Council (RNC), Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with German newspaper Rheinische Post.

"We proceed from the assumption that in order to prevent negative tendencies, top officials from leading NATO member countries need to reconsider their current approaches to building relations with Russia. It is necessary to establish regular contact between military experts in the RNC," Lavrov said.

Russia put forward "concrete proposals for decreasing a military threat and preventing unintended incidents," he added. "We are now waiting for NATO's response," the foreign minister noted.

Lavrov reminded that it was not Russia's fault that RNC's work at the high and highest level was suspended. "NATO made a decision to completely stop practical cooperation and transition to military-political deterrence of Russia. I will remind you that it happened in 2014, when the West was near-sighted in supporting the anti-constitutional coup in Ukraine, and then pretended not to notice Kiev's military campaign against Donbass residents," he said.

The initiative on normalizing relations, including in the framework of prospects for resuming the work of RNC at the highest level, should come from NATO, Lavrov noted. "From our side, we are ready to go as far as our colleagues will reciprocate," he concluded.
 
Russia has no right to veto Ukraine's movement toward NATO – Stoltenberg
Russia has no right to veto Ukraine's movement toward NATO – Stoltenberg
REUTERS


Ukraine is now focused on the reforms to be able to meet the NATO standards.

21 July 2019 - Russia must not stand on Ukraine's path of Euro-Atlantic integration, says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

In an interview with Canada's The Chronicle Herald, Stoltenberg said the issue of Ukraine's accession to NATO will take "a longer time."

"We support the efforts of Ukraine to move towards membership. We are helping them with implementing the reforms," the secretary general noted.

He stressed the main message that "it is for Ukraine and the 29 NATO allies to decide on membership" in the Alliance.

"Russia has no right to veto such a process," Stoltenberg said.

He added that Ukraine "is now focused on the reforms to be able to meet the NATO standards and that is the main focus now."
 
Two Russian armies launch military exercise ahead of NATO maneuvers in Georgia

The exercise is taking place in the Southern Military District.

ROSTOV-ON-DON, July 24, 2019 - A large-scale military exercise involving two armies of Russia’s Southern Military District began in the region on Tuesday ahead of scheduled NATO maneuvers in Georgia, the district’s press service said.

"In accordance with the plan of combat training, military units and formations of the 49th and 58th armies of the Southern Military District launched a command-and-staff exercise under a bilateral scenario, led by the district’s commander, Colonel-General Alexander Dvornikov," the press service said in a statement.

Under the scenario, a military formation created on the basis of the 58th Army and Russian military bases in the former Georgian republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, will counter an attack by forces led by the commander of the 49th Army.

"This summer training period’s stage of maximum intensity exercises will grow into a phase of a bilateral command-and-staff exercise involving almost all formations of the military district, including the Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla," the press service quoted Col. Gen. Dvornikov as saying.

According to earlier reports, over 3,000 people from 14 NATO members and partners will take part in a multinational exercise in Georgia, headlined Agile Spirit - 2019. The maneuvers will begin on July 27 and end on August 9.
 
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday there had been no formal request for the military alliance to launch a mission in the Strait of Hormuz.

Stoltenberg says no NATO mission requested in Strait of Hormuz
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference after a NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium June 26, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference after a NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium June 26, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts

July 31, 2019 - BRUSSELS - NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday there had been no formal request for the military alliance to launch a mission in the Strait of Hormuz.

The United States has proposed stepping up efforts to safeguard the vital oil route at a time of heightened tension between Washington and Tehran.
 
NATO says ready with measured response to Russia missile breach
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gives a news conference on the day the United States is set to pull out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Force Treaty (INF), in Brussels, Belgium, August 2, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gives a news conference on the day the United States is set to pull out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Force Treaty (INF), in Brussels, Belgium, August 2, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts

August 2, 2019 - NATO has agreed ways to deter Russia from launching a new medium-range missile capable of a nuclear strike on Europe, the alliance said on Friday, saying its response would be measured and only involve conventional weapons.

The United States formally withdrew from a Cold War-era nuclear missile pact with Russia on Friday after determining that Moscow was in violation of the treaty and had no plans to come into compliance with it.

“Russia bears sole responsibility for the demise of the treaty,” the NATO allies said, referring to the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) that kept nuclear weapons out of Europe and avoided short-notice attacks.

The U.S.-led alliance says Russia has breached the terms of the 1987 treaty, which bans land-based, medium-range missiles in Europe, and has developed the nuclear-capable Novator 9M729, which is also known as the SSC-8.

Russia denies any such violations.

“NATO will respond in a measured and responsible way to the significant risks posed by the Russian 9M729 missile ... We have agreed a balanced, coordinated and defensive package of measures,” they said.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told a news conference there would be “no rash moves” by the alliance and “would not mirror what Russia does.” “We don’t want a new arms race,” Stoltenberg said.

Washington is only considering conventional, not nuclear weapons, in any possible response, NATO diplomats say. Stoltenberg listed military exercises, surveillance and air and missile defenses as ways to deter Moscow.

NATO is also considering more flights over Europe by U.S. warplanes capable of carrying nuclear warheads, more military training and the repositioning of U.S. sea-based missiles, alliance diplomats say.

Within the next few weeks, the United States is expected to test a ground-launched cruise missile. In November, the Pentagon will aim to test an intermediate-range ballistic missile.
 
Statement on INF Treaty discredits NATO, senior Russian diplomat says

The US officially withdrew from the INF on August 2, 2019.
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© AP Photo/Virginia Mayo

MOSCOW, August 2, 2019 - NATO’s support for the United States’ withdrawal from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty completely discredits the North Atlantic Alliance politically, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told TASS on Friday.

According to him, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg repeats such statements every two days. "I certainly agree that practice makes perfect, and we will continue to reiterate our stance so that Stoltenberg eventually understands that by following the US example in spreading misinformation, NATO is completely discrediting itself as a political organization," the senior Russian diplomat pointed out.

The US formally withdrew from the INF Treaty on August 2.

NATO released a statement earlier that "Russia today remains in violation of the INF Treaty, despite years of US and Allied engagement, including a final opportunity over six months to honor its Treaty obligations." "As a result, the United States decision to withdraw from the Treaty, a decision fully supported by NATO Allies, is now taking effect," the statement added.

INF: from inception to suspension
The INF Treaty, signed by the Soviet Union and the United States on December 8, 1987, took effect on June 1, 1988. It applies to deployed and non-deployed ground-based missiles of intermediate range (1,000-5,000 kilometers) and shorter range (500-1,000 kilometers). Washington on many occasions had accused Russia of violating the accord, but Moscow vehemently dismissed all accusations and, in its turn, expressed grievances over Washington’s non-compliance.

On February 1, 2019, US President Donald Trump and US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo announced the suspension of Washington’s obligations under the INF starting on February 2. Washington claimed its determination to withdraw from the treaty in six months unless Russia returned to "real and verifiable" compliance.

On February 2, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was also suspending the agreement. He handed down instructions to refrain from initiating talks with Washington on the issue and stressed that the US needed to show willingness for an equal and substantive dialogue. Putin signed a decree suspending Moscow’s compliance with the Treaty on March 4. On July 3, the head of state signed the decree into law after it had been approved by both houses of parliament.

On August 2, the Russian Foreign Ministry officially confirmed that the operation of the Intermediate Nuclear Force Treaty has been terminated at the initiative of the United States.

U.N. chief says world will lose brake on nuclear war with end of INF treaty
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres attends a session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), Russia June 7, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is concerned by rising tensions between nuclear-armed states, warning "the world will lose an invaluable brake on nuclear war" with the expiration of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) on Friday.
 
This photo of Stoltenberg is "just too funny"! The "wee-little-guy" at the bottom? That's really ... putting things into perspective!

Lone wolf attackers inspire each other, NATO chief says
FILE PHOTO: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference after a NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts
FILE PHOTO: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a news conference after a NATO Defence Ministers meeting in Brussels, Belgium June 27, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts

Nations must work together to stop lone wolf attackers, who take inspiration from each other, NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday, during a visit to a mosque in New Zealand where a gunman killed dozens of people in March.

His comments came as the United States reels from two mass shootings at the weekend that killed 29 people and injured dozens in Texas and Ohio, provoking calls for tighter gun controls and prompting worries over a resurgence of white nationalism and xenophobic politics.

Stoltenberg, making a two-day trip to New Zealand, visited Christchurch, where 51 Muslim worshippers were killed in the attacks on two mosques by a suspected white supremacist.

“These attacks are committed by lone wolves but they are at the same time connected, because they use each other as inspiration and they refer to each other in the different manifestos,” Stoltenberg told state broadcaster TVNZ.

“It highlights that we have to fight terrorism in many different ways, with many different tools.”

The Texas shooter who killed 20 people at a Walmart store expressed support for the Christchurch gunman in his manifesto.

New Zealand authorities have charged Australian Brenton Tarrant, a suspected white supremacist, with murder following the attacks. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Society has to stand up for values of freedom, openness and tolerance, Stoltenberg said.

“We see that many of the terrorists are one of us,” he said. “They are home-grown, they are coming from our own societies. So this is very much also about addressing the root causes.”

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who is due to meet Stoltenberg on Tuesday, said New Zealand would only want to be remembered for the way it rejected the act of violence and hatred. “This is a global challenge,” she told a news conference later in the day.

“Of course we can do what we can to defeat acts of hatred, violence and racism in our own domestic areas. But, as an international community, we should also be united against acts of hatred, violence and terrorism.”
 
NATO needs to address China's rise, says Stoltenberg
FILE PHOTO: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg gives a news conference on the day the United States is set to pull out of the Intermediate-range Nuclear Force Treaty (INF), in Brussels, Belgium, August 2, 2019. REUTERS/Francois Walschaerts

NATO needs to understand the implications of China's rise as Beijing expands its power around the world, including areas that may challenge members of the North Atlantic security body, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.

Peace deal in Afghanistan closer than ever before, says NATO chief
NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that there was a real chance for peace in Afghanistan as U.S.-Taliban peace talks continue in Qatar.
 
This photo of Stoltenberg is "just too funny"! The "wee-little-guy" at the bottom? That's really ... putting things into perspective!

[snip...]

Nations must work together to stop lone wolf attackers, who take inspiration from each other, NATO’s secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday, during a visit to a mosque in New Zealand where a gunman killed dozens of people in March.

His comments came as the United States reels from two mass shootings at the weekend that killed 29 people and injured dozens in Texas and Ohio, provoking calls for tighter gun controls and prompting worries over a resurgence of white nationalism and xenophobic politics.

Stoltenberg, making a two-day trip to New Zealand, visited Christchurch, where 51 Muslim worshippers were killed in the attacks on two mosques by a suspected white supremacist.

“These attacks are committed by lone wolves but they are at the same time connected, because they use each other as inspiration and they refer to each other in the different manifestos,” Stoltenberg told state broadcaster TVNZ.

“It highlights that we have to fight terrorism in many different ways, with many different tools.”

The wee little picture in the lower corner is funny I think but shouldn't this be posted in the 49 victims in shootings at 2 New Zealand mosques thread?
 
[snip...]
NATO needs to understand the implications of China's rise as Beijing expands its power around the world, including areas that may challenge members of the North Atlantic security body, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.

Peace deal in Afghanistan closer than ever before, says NATO chief
NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday that there was a real chance for peace in Afghanistan as U.S.-Taliban peace talks continue in Qatar.

Wouldn't this be better in the Afghanistan thread? I don't see anything about Lavrov in this article.
 
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