RUSSIA has accused Europe of gearing up for “major war” after a top Nato chief claimed the defence pact could launch “pre-emptive strikes” on Vladimir Putin.
Moscow hit back at the suggestion, blaming the West for “moving towards escalation” – despite mad Vlad’s growing shadow war currently tearing through the continent.
It comes after Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of Nato‘s Military Committee, said the alliance could be forced to strike pre-emptively – a toughening of its current policy of waiting to react.
Putin has been terrorising Europe with a campaign of sabotage and airspace violations for years, and his shadow operation is only ramping up.
Various fires and explosions – including a blaze at an east London Ukrainian-owned warehouse – have been pinned on the tyrant.
Recent cases also include the severing of undersea cables in the Baltic Sea and a string of cyber-hack attacks across the continent.
The surge in these interferences is forcing Nato to reassess its traditional position of reactive military action, Dragone told the Financial Times.
In response, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the claims were seen by Moscow as “an extremely irresponsible step”.
The top Putin mouthpiece said the remarks indicated “the alliance’s readiness to continue moving towards escalation”.
She said: “We see in it a deliberate attempt to undermine efforts to overcome the Ukrainian crisis.
“The people making such statements should be aware of the risks and possible consequences, including for the alliance members themselves.”
Fellow Putin pawn Denis Gonchar, who serves as Russian ambassador to Belgium, said Nato was “intimidating its population with the Kremlin’s non-existent plans to attack the alliance countries”.
He accused the alliance of “preparing for a major war with Russia”.
The latest Russian threats come as peace talks to end the bloodshed in Ukraine continue between European and US officials.
On Monday Donald Trump said the negotiations were “going along well”.
Both sides on Sunday said the negotiations had been productive, and Marco Rubio said he was hopeful of further progress.
The Kremlin confirmed that the US president’s top envoy Steve Witkoff would be jetting to Moscow to meet mad Vlad on Tuesday in Washington‘s latest bid to end the war.
Speculating on Nato’s ability to hit Russia first, Dragone said: “We are studying everything […] On cyber, we are kind of reactive.
“Being more aggressive or being proactive instead of reactive is something that we are thinking about.”
Dragone added that revenge cyber attacks would be the simplest option, because many Nato member nations hold the capabilities to launch them.
Retaliation for physical sabotage or drone incursions would be more complex – but not out of the question.
The admiral said that a “pre-emptive strike” could, under certain circumstances, be classified as a defensive action – though it is “further away from our normal way of thinking and behaviour”.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15575035/russia-warns-nato-war-putin/