US Permanent Representative to NATO rejects speculation about threat from Russia
Matthew Whitaker called for caution in responding to hybrid threats and called incidents with drones accidents
Quick Look
US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker rejected claims that Russia is a threat to the alliance, calling for caution in assessing hybrid threats and calling the drone incidents accidents.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
Discussion of hybrid threats and drone incidents in NATO airspace.
Matthew Whitaker, the US permanent representative to NATO, rejected suggestions that Russia threatens the alliance.
Whitaker called for caution in responding to hybrid threats and noted that cases of drone penetration into NATO airspace are accidents caused by the actions of both sides in the Ukrainian conflict.
MOSCOW, September 23 - RIA Novosti. US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker rejected suggestions that Russia was threatening the alliance and called for caution in responding to what he called hybrid threats.
As Whitaker noted, Russia does not want a conflict with NATO, while Moscow itself has repeatedly stated that it does not intend to attack the countries of the alliance.
According to the permanent representative, the increasing cases of drone penetration into the airspace of NATO countries are accidents caused by actions on both sides of the Ukrainian conflict.
"I think it's not in anyone's best interest to move toward conflict. I think one of the things we have to be very careful about is overreacting to any kind of hybrid activity," Whitaker told The Associated Press.
Open Questions
- How will other NATO members react to Whitaker's statement?
