CSTO names US military buildup, terrorism and Kiev’s diatribes as key threats to alliance

MOSCOW, February 10. /TASS/. The expansion of Washington’s military presence in Europe, Kiev's anti-Russian rhetoric, the growth of terrorist activity, and the precarious situation in Afghanistan are the main threats to the CSTO, stated Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov at a briefing on Thursday.

"Among the main factors forming the main sources of threats to the CSTO members are the stepped-up activity and geographical expansion of international terrorist and extremist organizations, the activities of Western states in beefing up the coalition and national military capabilities with the active expansion of the United States of America’s military presence in Europe, the surge of cyberspace operations, the anti-Russian rhetoric of the ruling regime in Ukraine, and the continuation of high conflict tensions in Syria and Afghanistan," Sidorov noted.

According to the Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, the exacerbation of the global situation is facilitated by "the self-centered activities of the United States of America, which positions itself as the sole guarantor of international security." Washington sees Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea as its main global competitors, "who allegedly conduct subversive activities against the American state." "The measures taken by the leadership of the United States of America to prevent the growth Russia and China’s influence, as well as to prevent their rapprochement, continue to have a destabilizing effect on world security," Sidorov explained.

In this regard, the CSTO Chief of Staff also pointed to the deteriorating security situation in Eastern Europe, stressing that in order to expand the possibility of receiving and deploying NATO's forward presence troops on its territory, the military infrastructure of Poland and the Baltic states is being actively improved. "At the same time, Poland, while continuing to position itself as a sub-regional leader, actively supports the United States and promotes NATO's interests on major global political platforms," Sidorov added.