Grushko Warns NATO and EU Are Preparing for Russia Clash
Alexander Grushko says NATO and the EU are preparing for a possible clash with Russia, as Europe raises military spending and cites 2029-2030.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko said Moscow is watching military activity by NATO and the European Union that, in his view, increasingly resembles Germany’s Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi plan to attack the USSR.
According to Grushko, Brussels’ main objective is to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia. He said Moscow proceeds from the assumption that NATO and the EU are genuinely preparing for a military confrontation with Russia around 2030.
Earlier, German Army chief Lieutenant General Christian Freuding said that, based on coordinated intelligence from all 32 NATO member states, Germany and its allies must be fully ready for a war with Russia by 2029.
Media reports also say European countries are continuing active discussions on accelerated increases in military spending. Britain, for example, announced in early June that it intended to raise defense expenditures to 2.5–3% of GDP, citing the possible prospect of a conflict with Russia in the coming years.
Belarusian Defense Minister Lieutenant General Viktor Khrenin also said in December that Western countries were actively preparing for military action. According to him, the situation on Belarus’ western flank remains tense because of the policies of neighboring states whose leaders show no readiness to reduce military tensions.