NATO does not want new arms race with Russia
NATO does not want a new arms race with Russia, the alliance’s secretary general said on 4 April amid heightened tensions following an ex-spy’s poisoning in the UK.
Jens Stoltenberg told reporters alongside Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Ottawa: ‘We don’t want a new arms race, so we are focused on how can we respond in a firm strong predictable, but also measured and defensive, way. We don’t want a new Cold War.’
He made the remarks when asked about the possibility of new NATO sanctions against Russia after former spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter were poisoned in England on 4 March.
London and its allies have blamed Moscow for the attack, citing the use of a Soviet-designed nerve agent Novichok, Russia’s record of targeting dissidents and its history of aggression in recent years, from Crimea to cyber-attacks.
Stoltenberg said: ‘We will continue to strive for a more constructive relationship with Russia.’
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