International Security
US, NATO Unwilling to Raise
Tensions With Russia: Pentagon
© Sputnik/ David B. Gleason
03:14 31.12.2014(updated 03:41 31.12.2014)
Pentagon spokesperson said that Washington and NATO
are not seeking confrontation with Russia.
WASHINGTON, December 31 (Sputnik) – Washington and NATO are not seeking
confrontation with Russia, but will not compromise
on international principles vital for European and US security,
Pentagon spokesperson Lt. Col. Vanessa Hillman told Sputnik commenting
on Russia's revised military doctrine.
"The United States is reviewing Russia's new
military doctrine. Neither the United States nor our NATO allies are a threat
to Russia, and for more than two decades, NATO worked
to build a partnership with Russia. The United States and its NATO allies do not seek confrontation with Russia,"
Hillman said on Tuesday.
The spokesperson noted that Russia's alleged actions
in Ukraine challenged US vision of the peace in Europe, and
stressed the importance of adherence to the Minsk agreements
by all parties involved.
"It is incumbent upon Russia to comply
with international law and its international obligations and
responsibilities. We will not compromise on the rules-based international
order and principles on which security in Europe and North America
rest, of which NATO is a key component," Hillman stated.
The West and Kiev are accusing Russia of providing aid
to pro-independence forces in eastern Ukraine and even of a
direct military intervention in Ukraine. Moscow has dismissed the
accusations as groundless.
The new doctrine, signed by Russian President Vladimir
Putin on December
26, highlighted NATO's military build-up and the bloc's expansion
toward the Russian borders among the main external threats
to the national security.
Furthermore, for the first time ever the doctrine named the
protection of national interests in the Arctic among the main
priorities for Russian armed forces in times of peace.
Hillman noted that the United States has a clear interest
in preserving stability, security and cooperation in the Arctic,
as outlined in the US National Strategy for the Arctic Region.
"The Arctic is a harsh environment that rewards cooperation, not
confrontation. And I trust we will continue to see cooperation there
as we work with the other Arctic nations on shared concerns,
such as search and rescue and oil spill response preparedness," she
said.
Other external threats listed in the doctrine
include the development and deployment of strategic missile defense
systems, the implementation of the 'global strike' doctrine, plans
to place weapons in space as well as the deployment
of high-precision conventional weapons systems.
According to the document, Moscow reserves the right to use
nuclear weapons in response to the use of nuclear weapons or any
other types of weapons of mass destruction against Russia or its
allies, as well as in the case of an attack with conventional
weaponry that threatens the existence of the state.
Among the main internal threats, the document listed "activities
aimed at destabilizing the situation in the country", terrorist
activities to harm sovereignty and territorial integrity of Russia,
and actions involving anti-patriotic propaganda.
Russia's military doctrine remains purely defensive in nature, the
document emphasized.
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