MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. Moscow considers the statement by NATO Military Committee head Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone about potential preemptive strikes against Russia to be an extremely irresponsible step that promotes escalation, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in a statement.
The diplomat pointed to Giuseppe Cavo Dragone's recent interview with the Financial Times, in which, discussing the bloc's response to alleged Russian hybrid attacks, he said that "a preemptive strike could be considered a defensive action." Allegedly, it is time for NATO to act "more aggressively," the diplomat explained.
"We consider Giuseppe Cavo Dragone's statement about potential preemptive strikes against Russia to be an extremely irresponsible step, demonstrating the alliance's readiness to continue moving toward escalation," Zakharova emphasized. "We see it as a deliberate attempt to undermine efforts to settle the Ukrainian crisis. People who make such statements should be aware of the risks and potential consequences, including for the alliance members themselves," she noted.
According to the diplomat, NATO’s true goals and intentions became evident long ago. "At the same time, the bloc's leadership has the audacity to accuse Russia of ‘bellicose nuclear rhetoric,’ intimidation, and notorious hybrid attacks without any evidence of our involvement," she stated.
Zakharova stated that "against the backdrop of the anti-Russian hysteria being whipped up by the alliance and the fearmongering about an ‘inevitable attack’ by Russia on the bloc's member states, such statements not only add fuel to the fire, but also seriously escalate the already existing confrontation."
"Brussels likes to repeat the mantra about the ‘purely defensive’ nature of the alliance. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone's self-revealing statements about ‘preemptive strikes’ show that narrative is untrue," she concluded.