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Polish defense chief blames NATO commander for inflating threat of war with Russia

According to Dariusz Lukowski, drawing attention to threats is part of political pressure related to plans to reconsider the presence of US troops in Europe

MOSCOW, August 5. /TASS/. US Air Force Lieutenant General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe, deliberately overstated things when he claimed that Russia was ready to confront the bloc in 2027, as he sought to put pressure on European allies and the US administration to keep US troops in Europe, General Dariusz Lukowski, head of Poland’s intelligence agency National Security Bureau.

"I believe that this scenario is based on an exaggeration," he pointed out in an interview with the Polish newspaper Rzeczpospolita. "The first goal [of Grynkewich’s remark] was to put pressure on European allies to make them take the need to increase their military capacity seriously. The second goal has to do with domestic policy. <...> Drawing attention to threats is part of political pressure related to plans to reconsider the presence of US troops in Europe," the general explained.

"I don’t believe there is an immediate risk of conflict breaking out in Europe, though the long-term threat remains significant," the Polish intelligence chief emphasized.

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that NATO countries were the ones that "made up the horror story" about the Russian threat. According to him, they are just imposing blatant lies on their own people.

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