Latvian Foreign Minister Krisjanis Karins said that the West needs a long-term strategy to contain Russia, as Moscow will seek new targets regardless of the outcome of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He said this in an interview with the Financial Times, UNN writes.
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Krisjanis Karins, a former Latvian prime minister and potential candidate for NATO chief, told the Financial Times that russia has an "imperialist ideology," meaning that "the threat from moscow will remain even under a new president or if Ukraine regains all its territory.
"russia will not stop, russia can only be stopped. Stopping russia in Ukraine doesn't mean it's over. It just means we have to keep going. This is what is important for NATO: we will have to work on a long-term strategy to contain russia," Karins said.
Kariņš said NATO needs to improve the capabilities and "interoperability" of its defense industry to ensure standardization of different weapons systems and allow greater sharing of ammunition and artillery between allies.
"Once the war is over, the war machine will begin to rebuild. It will seek to provoke and create difficulties on its border. We know that. We have to make sure on the NATO side that the likelihood of any incidents is simply eliminated by our resolve and our investment in defense," he added.
According to Carins, the Baltic Sea, to which russia also has access, will become a "NATO lake" after Finland and Sweden join the alliance. Finland joined NATO last April, becoming the 31st member, but Sweden's accession was delayed by Turkey and Hungary.
Karinsh acknowledged that these were difficult times for the war in Ukraine. But he added that he was optimistic that both Europe and the United States would continue to support Kiev militarily and financially, arguing that russia was trying to "piss off" the West by saying it was divided.
"russia is trying to sow doubt among us... But Putin has succeeded in breathing new life into NATO. So far, we have managed to agree on all issues concerning Ukraine," he said, despite Hungary blocking long-term EU funding for Kiev.
He added that Ukraine needs Western unity and NATO membership after the war. "russia is not only a problem in Ukraine for Ukraine, it is a danger for the whole of Europe, even after the Ukrainian war," he said. - If Ukraine regains its territory, russia will still be a threat. This means we need to adjust our thinking for the long term.
Умеров обсудил с министром обороны Латвии наращивание производства БПЛА05.01.2024, 15:46