NATO Gearing Up for Direct Showdown with Russia – Top Russian Diplomat
This April 2, 2009 file photo shows shadows cast on a wall decorated with the NATO logo and flags of NATO countries in Strasbourg, eastern France, before the start of the NATO summit which marked the organisation’s 60th anniversary. 
Pushing the “Russia threat” narrative, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte recently warned member countries that unless they raise military spending to 5% of GDP, they should “learn to speak Russian.”NATO is retooling its armed forces, boosting military budgets, and revamping its command structure – all with one target in mind: Russia, stated Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko. All the recent NATO drills and the full-blown military buildup are, by and large, “being tailored to the task of a direct military clash with Russia,” he warned on the sidelines of the Forum of the Future 2050. According to him, this aggressive military planning is a reality that today determines Russia’s military-political relations with NATO states. Russia has long sounded the alarm over the bloc’s growing footprint near its borders. While the alliance claims it’s all about “containing” an alleged Russian “threat,” the Kremlin sees it as provocation.The Russian Foreign Ministry has repeatedly stated that it remains open to dialogue with NATO, but on an equal footing, urging the West to abandon its course toward militarization of the continent.
WorldNATO Chief Urges Members to Raise Spending to 5% or Brush Up on Their Russian10 June, 05:33 GMT
