The NATO alliance must be prepared for war with Russia, British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting has said.
Speaking during a visit to Warsaw, Streeting said that NATO did not want war, but that Russia’s assurances of the same could not be trusted and pointed to what he called “state-sponsored terrorism” against NATO members, A2 writes.
Poland and other NATO states in Central and Eastern Europe have accused Russia of acts of sabotage and “hybrid warfare” against them, claims that Moscow denies.
“I have warned citizens in the UK that we must be prepared for a scenario in which the UK and the NATO alliance find themselves at war with Russia. Not because we want war; we have no quarrel with the Russian people and we have no desire for war with Russia. NATO is a defensive alliance. But when Putin gives assurances that he has no intention of provoking a war with NATO, we are reminded of what he said about Ukraine just days before the invasion. And we see clearly the state-sponsored terrorism that the Kremlin is coordinating against NATO members,” Streeting said.
The comments came as Streeting was in the Polish capital to sign a defence cooperation agreement between Poland and the UK. Speaking alongside Streeting, Warsaw’s Defence Minister, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, said Poland would push the UK to move closer to the European Union and join EU defence initiatives.
“Poland will support the United Kingdom’s return to the European Union. We must turn this moment of danger for Europe into an opportunity – especially within the defense industry. We have the same views on arms production,” said Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, the Polish Minister of Defense.
“We will do everything in our power to ensure that the United Kingdom plays a more important role and is able to participate in European Union initiatives aimed at building security,” the senior Polish official concluded.