Russia Criticises NATO for Using Moscow Threat Narrative to Justify Military Spending

A senior Russian diplomat has criticised NATO member states, claiming they are using the narrative of a Russian threat to justify preparations for a large-scale conflict and to boost military expenditure. Vladislav Maslennikov, Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Department of European Issues, stated that the alliance first labelled Russia as a threat in 2022 and has since added that this threat is of a long-term nature. “This is used to justify the bloc’s aggressive preparations for a major conflict, the increase in military spending, and the strengthening of defence industrial capacity,” Maslennikov said in an interview with RIA Novosti, commenting on the results of a recent NATO summit in Ankara. He noted that the narrative has been consistently promoted at various levels ever since. President Vladimir Putin has previously stated that NATO’s increased military budgets have triggered global militarisation and an arms race. He argued that Western elites are using the false claim of a Russian threat to extract more funds from taxpayers and to explain away their own economic management failures. The Kremlin has repeatedly expressed concern over heightened NATO activity and the build-up of the alliance’s forces near Russia’s western borders, insisting that Russia does not threaten any country but will not ignore actions that could potentially endanger its national interests.