Moscow (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – On Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that NATO allies’ commitment to boost defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 will not be “significant in any way.” He claimed Russia isn’t hiding its objectives, stating they don’t violate international law.
According to Lavrov, Russia supports Iran’s cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). He emphasised that the Iranian parliament’s decision to halt work with the IAEA, made yesterday, is not legally binding, and the Iranian government has the power to override it.
What are Russia’s objections to NATO’s expansion?
Russia’s stance on NATO’s new commitment to increase defence spending to 5% of GDP by 2035 is highly critical and dismissive. The Kremlin views this move as part of NATO’s excessive militarization and an attempt to demonise Russia to justify the significant boost in military budgets among alliance members.
Russian officials, including spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, have accused NATO of fabricating a hostile image of Russia as a “fiend of hell” to rationalise the spending increase. They argue that NATO was originally created for confrontation rather than peace and stability, and that the alliance is escalating tensions by portraying Russia as the primary threat.
Why does Russia claim NATO is provoking tensions?
In his previous remarks, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has strongly criticised NATO’s expansion and increasing militarization, framing it as a violation of past assurances and a major security threat to Russia.
He argues that NATO broke verbal promises made in the early 1990s not to expand eastward toward Russian borders, although no formal treaty ever prohibited such enlargement. Lavrov contends that NATO’s continued expansion into Eastern Europe and ambitions to extend its presence into regions like the Middle East, South Asia, the Arctic, and the Asia-Pacific destabilise global security and provoke conflict.
