Russian Defense Minister Andrei Belousov was in Almaty, Kazakhstan the last two days for a Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) defense ministers meeting. According to the Russian Defense Ministry, he stressed the negative role of the US and its allies on the security situation faced by CSTO members. “These countries intentionally provoke crises, armed conflicts, support terrorist and extremist structures, impose sanctions of all kinds, use threats, and blackmailing,” he said.
“The most tense situation today is in the Eastern European region of collective security. It has a significant impact on all CSTO members. NATO is increasing its presence in Eastern and Central Europe, increasing combat readiness, and increasing the number of coalition military forces,” he continued. According to him, the North Atlantic Alliance is improving its military infrastructure, as well as training and combat reconnaissance activities are intensifying close to the borders of the CSTO countries.
Western countries “do everything to prolong and escalate the armed conflict in Ukraine,” Belousov went on. “For example, since February 2022, Kiev has been provided with military-technical, financial, and humanitarian assistance worth more than $278 billion.” He noted that “the West is urgently inflating the country with weapons, handing over intelligence, training Ukrainian servicemen, and recruiting mercenaries. With the participation of NATO advisers and specialists, sabotage is being prepared, and Western weapons are being used to damage Russia’s civilian infrastructure and civilians in general.”
