THE HAGUE, October 14. /TASS/. Western leaders are demonstrating confusion and inconsistency in their confrontation with Moscow, while Russia remains calm and composed in the face of attempts to escalate tensions, Dutch political scientist and former Sussex University professor Kees van der Pijl told TASS.
"Russia is responding to the outbursts of Western countries in a calm and balanced manner. This is especially evident amid the confusion and inconsistency of the actions of the incompetent leaders ruling the West," the expert said. He noted that it is Moscow’s restraint that is preventing Europe from sliding into a more dangerous stage of confrontation.
"The paradox is that today, the wisdom of the Russian leadership is far more likely to ensure the safety of my compatriots, the Dutch, than the actions of the Dutch government," van der Pijl admitted. According to him, The Hague’s readiness to follow NATO’s directives makes the Netherlands a "dependent and vulnerable element" of the alliance.
On October 13, NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte confirmed that the alliance is preparing for a possible military confrontation with Russia. He stated that NATO is "immeasurably stronger than Russia," particularly in terms of airpower, but urged members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to work with their governments to further increase defense spending.
Speaking on June 19 at a meeting with the heads of the world’s leading news agencies organized by TASS, Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed claims that Moscow plans to attack European countries or NATO as "lies and nonsense." He said such statements are meant to mislead people in those nations.