A retired four-star general has warned that Russia is already at war with NATO, citing long-term strategic plans behind the Kremlin's hybrid activities against member countries. Curtis Scaparrotti, who previously led US forces in Europe, made the comments at an Atlantic Council think-tank event in Washington.
Russia's goal to 'break NATO'
Scaparrotti stressed the need to protect critical facilities, noting that one of Russia's goals is to 'break NATO'. He said the Kremlin's actions are not just 'spurious activities' but part of a strategic, long-term plan.
“When they look at warfare, they don't have a line between peace and war. Those things that we typically put on the peace side, like these hybrid activities etc, something short of a large physical attack of some kind or one that's done by a conventional force, that's all a part of their spectrum of war, unlike us,” he said.
Trump's diesel deal with Russia
Rising fears about the situation have been circulating after US President Donald Trump struck a diesel supply deal with Russia. Trump is seeking to bring down soaring pump prices ahead of stateside elections next month.
Critics have argued that the waiving of sanctions on fuel sales by Moscow will only serve to bankroll its war against Ukraine. Trump has suggested that Ukraine needs a new leader in a dig at Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky.
Concerns over intelligence sharing and Starlink
Trump also claimed that Russian leader Vladimir Putin wanted a peace deal more than the government in Kyiv did. These remarks led to concerns about intelligence sharing by the US and the use of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications system, which Ukraine relies on for its defence.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham hosted Zelensky at Downing Street in a show of support, pledging to continue UK backing. Both leaders agreed that 'Russia had no interest in peace'.
Hybrid warfare and undersea cables
There have been ongoing warnings about the threat posed by the Kremlin to allies of Ukraine through so-called hybrid warfare, which includes drone and cyber attacks. The UK's vital undersea cables have long been seen as vulnerable to sabotage by Russian spy ships.
Scaparrotti, who served as NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 2016 to 2019, called out 'Russian doctrine'. He added: “We should take seriously the fact that this isn't just spurious activities on the Russians' part. You can count on it that it has a plan behind it, that it's strategic, that it's long-term, and that we should take seriously the protection of our infrastructure.”
Despite the widely acknowledged threat posed by Moscow, Trump has taken a conciliatory approach to his Russian counterpart while voicing criticism of traditional allies since returning to the White House last year. Last month saw him claim that Putin was 'not looking to attack NATO territory', despite an attempted drone strike on a German airport that European countries, including the UK, blamed on the Kremlin. Questions have been raised about Washington's commitment to the long-standing alliance and its key principle of collective security due to Trump's reticence in condemning Russia.
