Brussels - NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow has accused Russia of the breach of the international order and said this is a motivation the Western alliance to step up a defense capacity building.
“Russia enjoys legal standing of a state but uses cover of non-state actors to subvert sovereignty of its neighbor Ukraine,” Vershbow said on Twitter on Saturday, Nov. 22.
“Russia’s hybrid warfare military intimidation + disguised invasion + covert arms + econ blackmail + diplo duplicity + disinformation,” he twitted.
The NATO official said that as long as Russia fails to comply with international law and seeks to undermine the international order, the West needs to raise costs.
“Russia is now systematically destroying the European political framework,” Vershbow stressed adding that Russia’s unacceptable behavior demands that the West remain committed to principles, raise costs for aggression, strengthen Ukraine.
