Russia is already embroiled in a conflict with Nato, according to a former high-ranking commander of the military alliance, amid transatlantic tensions over Ukraine. Retired four-star general Curtis Scaparrotti, who formerly led US forces in Europe, warned that there's a long-term strategy behind the Kremlin's "spurious activities" aimed at member nations and stressed the need to protect critical infrastructure.
One of Moscow's goals was to "break" Nato, he declared.
Context of strained relations
Mr Scaparrotti's comments at an Atlantic Council think-tank event in Washington, DC, come amidst a backdrop of strained diplomatic relations following US President Donald Trump's diesel supply deal with Russia as he seeks to curb soaring fuel prices ahead of next month's domestic elections.
Critics argue that easing sanctions on fuel transactions with Moscow will simply fund its military offensive against Ukraine, reports the Express.
The ensuing row has led Mr Trump to suggest that Ukraine needs new leadership and claim that Russian leader Vladimir Putin wants a peace deal more than the authorities in Kyiv do. It has also sparked queries about intelligence cooperation by the US and the deployment of Elon Musk's Starlink satellite communications network, which Ukraine relies on for its defence.
UK support and hybrid warfare concerns
In a show of unity, Andy Burnham greeted Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky at Downing Street, affirming the UK's ongoing support. Both leaders agreed that "Russia had no interest in peace".
This tense situation coincides with persistent warnings about the threat the Kremlin poses to Ukraine's allies through what is known as hybrid warfare, including drone and cyber attacks. The UK's vital undersea cables have long been considered vulnerable to disruption by Russian intelligence ships.
General's warning on Russian doctrine
Discussing "Russian doctrine", Mr Scaparrotti, who served as Nato's Supreme Allied Commander Europe from 2016 to 2019, said: "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. So that's routine for them, and we've got to come to terms with that."
"So from my perspective, if you looked at it from their spectrum, we're at war with Russia today, within the alliance, because they're taking actions that are intended to undermine individual countries' capability to support warfare, undermine their civilians' confidence in their own government or within Nato, and to break Nato."
He went on: "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."
Concerns over US stance
Despite the widely acknowledged threat posed by Moscow, since returning to the White House Mr Trump has taken a conciliatory approach towards his Russian counterpart while voicing criticism of long-standing allies.
Last month the US president insisted Mr Putin was "not looking to attack Nato territory", despite an attempted drone strike on a German airport that European nations, including the UK, blamed on the Kremlin. Mr Trump's unwillingness to condemn Russia has raised further concerns about Washington's commitment to the established alliance and its core principle of collective defence.
