NATO troops have created additional threats for Russia by their proximity to Russian borders, but Moscow has no military or geopolitical interest in attacking NATO states, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a speech on Friday, quoted by the Russian TASS agency, taken by Reuters, according to Agerpres.
Şoigu also stated on Friday, at a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Astana, according to the quoted source, that Washington is deliberately prolonging the conflict in Ukraine, exerting unprecedented pressure including on its partners.
Shoigu also accused the Washington-led QUAD (consisting of the USA, Australia, Japan and India) and AUKUS (USA, Australia and the United Kingdom) blocs of trying to change the security structure in the Pacific region to suit their own interests.
On the other hand, Russia and China continue to intensify their military cooperation, Shoigu said, reports the Russian news agency RIA, reported by Reuters. Russia’s and China’s approaches to some international problems coincide, he said.
At the same time, Shoigu warned, the Ukrainian strikes at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant risk causing catastrophic consequences, according to TASS. Shoigu also stated that Ukraine is being helped by foreign partners to prepare acts of sabotage on Russian territory. He did not provide evidence to support his claims, notes Reuters. Russia and Ukraine accuse each other of negligent military behavior at the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant.
Serghei Şoigu also said at the OCS meeting that Russia and its allies in Asia should expand their military exercises in the context in which they face the direct threat of US attempts to expand its security influence in the region.
The CSTO is a security alliance that includes Russia, India, China, Iran, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. “I think that everyone present shares the opinion that the deployment of military infrastructure in the region by the US and its allies is unacceptable,” said Şoigu.
“Such intentions must be seen as a direct threat to the OCS space,” he added.
The OCS member states should expand the scope and perimeter of their military exercises, Şoigu also said at the meeting in Astana.
His speech also highlighted Russia’s desire to strengthen military ties with Asian partners and resist an erosion of its influence despite the intense demands on its military from the war in Ukraine.
In the country, Şoigu’s position is under more scrutiny than usual after the arrest of one of his deputies over the weekend in a bribery scandal, a development that threatens to weaken him politically, Reuters comments.
Shoigu said the main threat in Central Asia comes from “radical terrorist groups in Afghanistan”. He stated that the US is making efforts to restore its influence in the region, which was lost after the withdrawal of its troops from Afghanistan in 2021.
The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for killing nearly 140 people in a bombing at a Moscow concert hall last month, and the US says the group’s Afghan branch planned the attack. Shoigu repeated Russia’s accusation that Ukraine is behind the attack, which was rejected by Kiev and Washington.
Publisher: CS
