NATO unleashed over 30 military adventures in past 25 years — Russian SC official

Lead

In an interview with TASS, Yury Kokov, Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, stated that NATO has unleashed more than 30 military-terrorist conflicts over the past quarter century, at a cost of trillions of dollars. Kokov's remarks, reported by TASS, criticized both NATO and the European Union, accusing them of adopting radical forms of international terrorism and of promoting the interests of powerful military corporations.

Coverage Comparison

TASS, the Russian state news agency, reported Kokov's interview in three separate articles, each focusing on a different aspect of his remarks. One article highlighted his claim that NATO and the EU have embraced methods that "fully fall under the definition of international terrorism." Another focused on his assertion that NATO has transformed from a defensive alliance into a tool for promoting the agendas of military corporations. The third detailed his statement about the number of conflicts and their cost, as well as his reminder of NATO's original purpose.

Key Claims

Kokov said that over the past 25 years, NATO has engaged in more than 30 military-terrorist conflicts on different continents, with trillions of dollars spent on these adventures, which he described as being "covered by high principles of democracy, humanism, respect for human rights, and the fight against terrorism." He contrasted this with the original purpose of NATO, as he said it was created to ensure collective defense, maintain peace and security in the North Atlantic region, and, according to the 1949 treaty, to peacefully resolve all international disputes and refrain from any use of force.

Kokov also asserted that NATO has become a tool for promoting the interests of Western military-industrial corporations, which he said have "skillfully maneuvered" to draw the European Union into NATO's sphere of influence. He claimed that the EU has been integrated into NATO, uniting around what he called the Atlantic bloc's aggressive policies. He warned that these corporations, in a bid to secure additional funding, are escalating military and terrorist conflicts by recruiting the European Union to confront these challenges.

In his remarks, Kokov criticized the methods of what he termed "Anglo-Saxon financial elites," describing their use of violence as "common practice." He said their wealth was originally based on the seizure of foreign territories, plunder, colonization, and the slave trade, and that they have never shrunk from using violence to resolve internal conflicts and expand external influence.

Kokov also recalled the founding goals of the European Union, as outlined in the 1992 Maastricht Treaty, which he said proclaimed noble goals such as promoting peace, prosperity, and equality of peoples, sustainable development, a high level of social protection for citizens, and strict adherence to international law and the principles of the UN Charter. He juxtaposed these stated goals with the current actions of the EU, which he claimed have taken on radical forms that meet the definition of international terrorism.