Russia has no interest in attacking NATO member states, Shoigu says
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Russia's Minister of Defense emphasized that Russia has always put maximum effort into securing strategic stability and balance in power in the world.
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IPhoto taken from a video by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Wednesday, April 24, 2024, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu attends a meeting at the Plesetsk launch facility in the Arkhangelsk Region of northwestern Russia (AP)
Russia has never threatened NATO and does not have any geopolitical or military interests to attack the allies, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said Friday during a meeting of defense ministers of the SCO member countries in Astana.
Founded in 2001, SCO's full members are India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Pakistan, and Uzbekistan; its observer states are Afghanistan, Belarus, and Mongolia, and its dialogue partners are Azerbaijan, Armenia, Egypt, Cambodia, Nepal, Qatar, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Myanmar, Bahrain, and Kuwait.
"Russia has never threatened NATO. We have neither geopolitical nor military interests to attack the states of the bloc. We are simply protecting our people in our historical territories," Shoigu said.
The minister emphasized that Russia has always put maximum effort into securing strategic stability and balance of power in the world.
Central and South Asia
Addressing US plans for deploying military infrastructure in Central and South Asia, Shoigu said these plans were a threat to stability in the SCO space.
"I believe that all those present share the opinion that the deployment of military infrastructure in the region by the United States and its allies is unacceptable. Such intentions must be regarded as a direct threat to stability in the SCO space," he stressed.
He also said that the US-oriented military and political structure in the Asia-Pacific region was attempting to alter the security system in the region to control this part of the planet.
Shoigu underlined that the comeback of radical Islamists from the Middle East and North Africa to Southeast Asia sets prerequisites for new hot spots.
Hotbeds of instability in the world
The minister emphasized that the US utilizes tactics of triggering hotbeds of instability in the world as it creates security threats and then jumps in by offering military assistance.
"[The US] uses a technique that has been proven many times — inciting and maintaining hotbeds of instability in various regions of the world, generating security threats while simultaneously offering military assistance to neutralize them," he stressed.
Ukrainian strikes on Zaporozhye NPP
Addressing the possible chaotic consequences of Ukrainian strikes on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), Shoigu said: "The ongoing strikes of the Ukrainian armed forces on the Zaporozhye nuclear power plant, which could lead to catastrophic consequences, are of particular concern."
The attacks
The press office of the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant (NPP)'s announced on April 7 that Ukrainian kamikaze drones attacked the plant immediately after an International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspection.
According to the statement, the drone strike was "recorded in the canteen sector located on the territory of the Zaporozhye NPP. A truck unloading food was damaged...Another strike was recorded in the cargo port."
The incident occurred 20 minutes after IAEA officials examined the nuclear power station, the statement added.
The Zaporozhye NPP's press staff informed Sputnik that no extra background radiation was registered following the attack.
