Kremlin highlights key difference between Russia, NATO

Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, emphasized that the Russian armed forces possess all the necessary capabilities to ensure national security, but they do not pose a threat to other nations—unlike NATO.

His comments were made in response to remarks by Bruno Kahl, the president of Germany’s Federal Intelligence Service, who suggested that Moscow might be preparing to attack NATO within the next decade, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media.

"Russia is focused on ensuring its own security, and we have the potential to achieve this," Peskov told a briefing. He further clarified that Russia has never expanded its military infrastructure toward NATO; rather, it is NATO that has consistently moved closer to Russia's borders.

Peskov also criticized NATO's large-scale nuclear exercise “Steadfast Noon”, which was conducted amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. He argued that such military drills only serve to escalate tensions in an already volatile situation. "Given the 'hot war' conditions surrounding the Ukrainian conflict, these exercises contribute nothing but increased friction," he concluded.

Germany’s intelligence chiefs issued stark warnings about Russian espionage and preparations for military conflict with NATO at a parliamentary hearing.

Moscow’s willingness to use hybrid and covert measures reached a “level previously unseen,” said Bruno Kahl, the head of Germany’s foreign intelligence service, or BND, while also warning that “direct military confrontation with NATO has become an option for Moscow.”

The Kremlin's goal is to divide the West in order to hinder Europe's ability to defend itself while bolstering the Russian military in preparation for a potential attack, Kahl told parliamentarians.

“Putin will continue to test the West’s red lines and further escalate the confrontation,” he said. “The Russian armed forces will probably be in a position, in terms of personnel and material, to launch an attack against NATO by the end of this decade at the latest."

Kahl underscored that the Kremlin — which has been waging all-out war on neighbouring Ukraine since February 2022 — is spending much more on its military than European countries, and is significantly bolstering its conventional forces.

By Vafa Guliyeva