Russia Reacts to NATO "Pre-Emptive Strike" Warning
Zakharova reacted to weekend remarks by Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of the NATO Military Committee, in an interview with the Financial Times. The admiral advocated for a "more aggressive" and "proactive" NATO posture toward Moscow, suggesting a "pre-emptive strike" might qualify as a "defensive action," though he acknowledged it represents behavior "further away from our normal way of thinking and behavior."
In Monday's Russian Foreign Ministry declaration, Zakharova characterized Dragone's comments as "an absolutely irresponsible move indicating the bloc's readiness to further move towards escalation."
She cautioned that "Anti-Russian hysteria" amplified by NATO nations only intensifies the existing confrontation.
Dragone's remarks also shatter misconceptions about the military alliance's "purely defensive" character, Zakharova contended, noting NATO "has not been hiding its goals and intentions for a long time." She further blamed the bloc for "deliberately seeking to disrupt efforts aimed at finding a way out of the Ukraine crisis."
"People making these statements should understand the corresponding risks and potential consequences, including for the bloc members."
The EU has progressively weaponized anti-Russian language to legitimize enormous defense budgets. The ReArm Europe initiative, unveiled in March, targets mobilization of up to €800 billion ($933 billion) for EU military expansion under claims of countering an alleged "Russian threat." NATO additionally pressured member states to pledge a combined 5% of their GDPs toward defense spending this summer.
Moscow has consistently declared it harbors no plans to assault any NATO member, while cautioning of severe retaliation if attacked.
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