The US-led bloc’s members have agreed to more than double military expenditures
NATO’s recent decision to significantly boost military spending won’t have a meaningful impact on Russia’s security, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said.
At its summit in The Hague this week, the members of the US-led bloc committed to raising defense expenditures to 5% of GDP by 2035 to address the alleged “long-term threat posed by Russia to Euro-Atlantic security.” US President Donald Trump, who has long urged European allies to take more responsibility for their security, hailed the agreement as a “monumental win.”
Moscow has repeatedly said it has no intention of attacking any NATO member states, dismissing such claims as “nonsense” and attributing them to Western officials’ attempts to justify increased military spending.
When asked at a press conference on Thursday whether Russia sees the NATO buildup as a threat, Lavrov responded: “I don’t think it will have any significant effect.”
“We know what goals we are pursuing; we don’t hide them, we state them openly, and they are absolutely legitimate in terms of any interpretation of the UN Charter and international law. We know by what means we will always ensure these goals,” he said.
Russia has maintained that it remains open to peace talks if the root causes of the Ukraine conflict are addressed – including NATO expansion toward its borders and Western support for Kiev’s membership.
Earlier this month, the European Commission authorized the use of approximately €335 billion in pandemic recovery funds for military purposes. In May, it introduced a €150 billion debt facility to support so-called defense efforts. Ukraine has been granted access to these funds alongside EU member states.
Moscow has criticized the steps as indicative of the bloc’s continued hostility. President Vladimir Putin has accused NATO of fabricating threats to extract money from its citizens and fueling an arms race.
When asked at the summit what NATO’s warnings of a Russian threat were based on, Secretary General Mark Rutte did not provide any specific intelligence assessments, instead citing only general concerns.
