Russian Government: Russia-NATO Relations are Not Impacted by Secretary General’s Extension of Tenure

On July 6, 2023, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova announced that extension of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg’s office term for an additional  year will not impact relations between Russia and the Western military alliance due to how they are non-existent. “With respect to whether that (the extension of Stoltenberg’s term – TASS) will or will not influence relations with Russia, it won’t. That’s because Russia and NATO don’t have any relations,” she said during a news conference.

“The question of why it was decided to let him stay needs to be directed to the people that made the decision to leave him in office. There was no shortage of intrigue there. It’s a question for them,” Zakharova continued.

Stoltenberg previously announced that his term had been extended to October 1, 2024. NATO declared in a statement that the decision will be formally established at the alliance’s summit in Vilnius on July 11 and 12.

Indeed, relations between Russia and NATO are beyond repair. After all, NATO has pursued an expansionist agenda over the last decade that has seen it incorporate more states into its fold — moves that happen to transpire along Russia’s traditional sphere of influence. 

Such actions will obviously anger Russia, a nuclear great power, with strong geopolitical interests. The only way these kinds of relations can be mended will be to halt NATO expansion.

From there, countries like the US will need to recalibrate their international relations and start scaling their military presence abroad back. It’s the only way to prevent a nuclear conflagration between great powers.

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