NATO commander called Russia a "threat to the existence" of the United States

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Russia wants to change the established world order and represents a "long-term threat to the existence" of the United States and Europe.

This was stated by the head of the Supreme Command of the United Armed Forces of NATO in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, writes The Hill.

“Russia is not just challenging the agreed rules of the international order, it wants to rewrite them,” he told a House Armed Services Committee meeting.

The security situation in Europe, he said, has become even more serious and complex in recent months, primarily due to Russia's aggressive behavior, the massive influx of refugees and the terrorist threat from the Islamic State.

“Russia is trying to expand its influence in order to establish itself again as a leader on the world stage. She decided to be an adversary and poses a long-term threat to the existence of the United States and its allies and partners in Europe. In order to counteract Russia, the European Command, together with its allies and partners, is conducting deterrence measures and is preparing to fight and win, if necessary, ”said Breedlove.

He added that, despite Moscow’s assurances that Russia is fighting against terrorism in Syria, in fact, this country does little to counter the “Islamic State”. Instead, it actively supports the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad and his allies.

“Russia and the Assad regime are deliberately using migration from Syria as a weapon in an attempt to confront European structures and break European resolve,” he said.

The general called on Congress to support the European Security Initiative (European Reassurance Initiative), which, he said, aims to counter Russian aggression and other threats.

Breedlove proposed to increase the budget of the initiative in 4 times, to 3,4 billion dollars.

However, he noted that a return to the days of the Cold War has not yet occurred.

"What's happening now is not the Cold War, and no one in NATO wants to go back to the Cold War," Breedlove said.

At the same time, he recalled that the mission of the Alliance is to protect NATO member countries, and Russia is forcing to strengthen the defenses on the eastern borders of NATO.

As wrote ForumDaily, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced the onset of the new cold war between NATO and the Russian Federation.

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