Washington: Russia is trying to test NATO’s mettle and members of the transatlantic alliance must bolster military spending in the face of Moscow’s challenge, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel has warned.
The 28 members of NATO have responded to Russia’s intervention in Ukraine with “resolve,” Hagel said yesterday, “but over the long term, we should expect Russia to test our alliance’s purpose, stamina and commitment.”
Russia’s annexation of Crimea and its backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine “has reminded NATO of its founding purpose,” he said. After the Cold War, the alliance had looked to forge a partnership with its old adversary.
But after Moscow’s moves in Ukraine, “NATO must stand ready to revisit the basic principles underlying its relationship with Russia,” he said. Hagel’s press secretary, Rear Admiral John Kirby, declined to describe Russia as an “enemy” of the United States. NATO’s deputy secretary general, US diplomat Alexander Vershbow, however said Thursday that Moscow had be to seen as “more of an adversary than a partner.” (PTI)
