DISINFO: NATO's only meaning is to be at enmity with Russia
SUMMARY
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warmly welcomed “Biden’s election as the next US president.” “This will allow the alliance to better confront aggressive Russia,” Stoltenberg said. Biden, in turn, has also already declared Russia “the main enemy.”This is ideal for an alliance, the only meaning of which is to be at enmity with Russia.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO as being an anti-Russian organisation.
The congratulatory message from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to US president-elect Joe Biden is purposely misinterpreted to present the head of NATO as encouraging Biden to clash with Russia. In the original congratulatory text, J. Stoltenberg said:
“We need this collective strength to deal with the many challenges we face, including a more assertive Russia, international terrorism, cyber and missile threats, and a shift in the global balance of power with the rise of China”.
North Atlantic Alliance is an intergovernmental military alliance between 29 North American and European countries. The Alliance's purpose is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means, not to be at enmity with Russia.
Relations between the NATO and the Russian Federation were established in 1991 within the framework of the North Atlantic Cooperation Council. In 1994, Russia joined the Partnership for Peace programme. For more than two decades, NATO has worked to build a partnership with Russia, developing dialogue and practical cooperation in areas of common interest. No other country outside the alliance has such a privileged relationship with NATO.
NATO-Russian cooperation has been suspended since 2014 in response to Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine. Since then Russian officials have accused NATO of a series of threats and hostile actions. NATO's approach to Russia is defence and dialogue. More about NATO can be read here and its relations with Russia here.
See similar cases claiming that Russia will remain the main enemy of NATO for decades, that NATO is encircling Russia’s borders and creating an enemy image of Russia, that NATO is a monstrous Cold War relic, and that Russia is regarded as an enemy in the plans of NATO.