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Russian security official comments on NATO’s surge in military spending

According to the Russian Security Council assistant secretary, NATO’s increased military spending will curb social and economic development of its member-states

MOSCOW, June 6. /TASS/. NATO’s increasing military spending won’t contain Moscow but will curb social and economic development of its member-states, Russian Security Council Assistant Secretary Alexander Venediktov said in an interview with the Argumenty i Fakty weekly newspaper on Tuesday.

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"The Western countries have lost a lot due to anti-Russian sanctions, according to the United Nations’ assessments that’s up to $100 billion," the Russian security official said. "I think, such unilateral undertakings may only contain social and economic development of NATO’s member-states," he noted.

Moscow shares NATO’s assessments on international terrorism that poses a major threat to the world community, Venediktov said, stressing that Russia calls to unify efforts to fight against this evil.

"Boosting military or other spending won’t solve any problem. It is also absurd to link this process to the supposed need to repel threats allegedly coming from Russia," he added.

NATO and Russia have many common challenges and threats, Venediktov stressed. "It is time to switch from confrontational rhetoric to systematically taking into account security concerns of each other," he noted.

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