Speaking at a meeting with senior NATO officials, the minister noted that NATO’s military budget currently stands at $1.6 trillion and is gradually increasing to five percent of the national gross domestic product.

“All of this points out that NATO is preparing for a military confrontation with Russia. The alliance’s plans require us to be prepared for such action in the 2030s. NATO officials have stated this repeatedly and openly,” Belousov emphasized.

The policies of Europe and Kyiv create the necessary conditions for military actions in Ukraine to continue into 2026, the Russian Defense Minister asserted.

“We clearly see the attempts by European leaders and the Kyiv regime to avoid resolving this problem. They are prolonging the conflict in the hope of weakening our country as much as possible,” Belousov declared.

The Russian Minister also denounced the “speedy deployment of Alliance troops on the eastern flank, for which the so-called military Schengen zone is being planned.”

“NATO continues to reinforce its coalition forces. Active preparations are underway for the deployment of medium-range missiles. The list of nuclear munitions has been updated,” the Russian Minister warned.

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