Russia's aggressive posturing is risking a new Cold War, Nato’s secretary general warns.
Jens Stoltenberg insisted the West “does not want a new arms race” – but he said it must respond to Moscow’s moves to expand its power base beyond its borders.
Mr Stoltenberg was speaking as Nato began the “biggest reinforcement” of its defence systems in 30 years.
He said: “We don’t want a new Cold War, a new arms race. But we have to make sure we are adapting as the world is changing. So we are responding to what Russia is doing.”
Mr Stoltenberg added that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “very serious questions” to answer after it emerged opposition leader Alexei Navalny was poisoned with novichok – the Soviet-era nerve agent used in the 2018 Salisbury attack.
He said: “This is not the first time we’ve seen the use of poison against people in opposition to the Russian regime. That makes it more serious.”
