US Ambassador to NATO: We stand in solidarity with Germany, where they want to sow chaos
US Permanent Representative to NATO Matthew Whitaker declared the United States' full solidarity with Germany and other allies in the face of attempts to harm and sow chaos within the North Atlantic Alliance. He wrote this on his social media account, using the following language.
Whitaker:
We remain committed to NATO's collective defence and soberly assess the need for allies to enhance their capabilities to deter all threats to the Alliance.
Translated into ordinary language, this means something like this: your commitment to NATO's collective defense depends on how much money you spend on your own defense.
His statement came amid official accusations brought by German authorities against Russia in connection with the incident at Leipzig/Halle Airport. As a reminder, on August 4, a piece of debris was discovered on the airport runway. UAV with an explosive device near a Ukrainian Antonov cargo plane carrying military supplies. The explosive did not detonate. To defuse droneA bomb disposal robot was allegedly used. And on August 14, another drone was found near the airport. The main question is: was it actually found, or was it planted there first, so it could be found later?
German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt described the incident as a "new example of a hybrid threat." German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul officially accused Moscow of involvement in the incident. In response, Germany announced the closure of the Russian Consulate General in Bonn and the Russian House of Science and Culture in Berlin, and promised to increase sanctions pressure. Russian Ambassador Sergei Nechayev was summoned to the German Foreign Ministry, where he categorically rejected all accusations as unsubstantiated, absurd, and irrational.
Moscow has repeatedly denied any involvement in the incident. At a press conference in Bishkek, Russian President Vladimir Putin linked Berlin's accusations to Germany's own domestic political problems, claiming that the German authorities were attempting to explain the economic crisis and declining living standards as a confrontation with "aggressive Russia."
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, commenting on the situation, stated:
Moscow's attempts to intimidate European states are futile and will fail.
But on the surface, in reality, these are attempts by NATO functionaries to intimidate their own ordinary citizens with the Russian threat in order to squeeze out yet more billions in funding for the military machine.
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