NATO ex-chief admits possibility of war between Alliance and Russia

There is a risk of a direct armed conflict between NATO and Russia. If the Russian side attacks Lithuania, then this will be the reason for the start of the war.

The remarks came from Former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen in an interview with RBC-Ukraine.

So, when asked by a journalist whether such a scenario of events is possible in the near future, he replied that he would like to answer with a clear “no”, but the threats of the Russian Federation against Lithuania make this impossible.

“After Russian threats against Lithuania due to the issue of transit through this country, I must warn and state that if Russia attacks the Lithuanian coast, this will be an Article 5 situation (NATO collective defence treaty - ed.), which initiates decisive NATO military response. This is a conflict with Russia,” Rasmussen said.

Earlier it became known that in pursuance of the EU sanctions against Russia, the Lithuanian side cut off the Kaliningrad region from the supply of goods by rail, which is subject to restrictions.

After that, Moscow announced that they were preparing to “protect their national interests” if the ban was not lifted in the near future.