ST. PETERSBURG, June 19 – Russia does not consider any rearmament efforts by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) as a threat to its national security, President Vladimir Putin said Thursday during a meeting with the heads of major global news agencies.
“We do not see any NATO rearmament as a threat to the Russian Federation, because we are self-sufficient in terms of ensuring our own security,” Putin said.
Putin emphasized that Russia continuously enhances its military and defense capabilities. “Whatever NATO does, of course, creates certain risks, but we are fully capable of neutralizing all emerging threats. There is no doubt about that,” he said.
Putin also questioned the rationale behind NATO member states increasing their defense budgets, suggesting such actions are unnecessary. “Any rearmament or raising budgets to five percent of GDP by NATO countries makes no sense,” he added.
His remarks came amid growing discussions within NATO about increasing defense spending. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently indicated that all NATO members are expected to agree to raise defense expenditures to five percent of GDP over the next decade.
XINHUA
