NATO raises the specter of Russia-China-North Korea nuclear alliance ‘challenging the world order’

NATO today raised concerns about a nuclear alliance between Russia, China and North Korea that “would challenge the world order.”

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that a Russian victory in Ukraine would encourage China to potentially invade. the autonomous island of Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own.

Stoltenberg said China is “learning lessons” from Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, warning: “What is happening in Europe today could happen in East Asia tomorrow.”

The NATO chief made the comments during a trip to Japan where he and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to strengthen ties with the West amid growing security fears over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its growing military cooperation with China.

The leaders also expressed concern about Russia’s nuclear threats. Pictured: The launch of the Russian Sarmat ballistic missile in April 2022

Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (left) and Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida shake hands after a joint press conference Tuesday in Tokyo, Japan.

“The world stands at a historic turning point in the most severe and complex security environment since the end of World War II,” Stoltenberg and Kishida said in a statement.

The leaders also expressed concern about nuclear threats from Russia, joint Russian-Chinese military exercises near Japan and North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons.

It comes after Russia warned yesterday that it is in the ‘on the verge of a direct collision with the US and NATO’ and it is ‘highly possible’ that there will be no nuclear arms control treaty with the US after 2026 due to Washington’s efforts to inflict a ‘strategic defeat’ ‘ to Moscow in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg told reporters today that a Russian victory in Ukraine would embolden China at a time when it is building up its military, “intimidating its neighbors and threatening Taiwan.”

“The war in Ukraine shows that our security is closely interconnected,” Stoltenberg said during his visit to the Iruma airbase north of Tokyo.

“If President Putin wins in Ukraine, it will be a tragedy for Ukrainians, but it will also send a very dangerous message to authoritarian leaders around the world because then the message will be that when they use military force they can achieve their goals. ‘ he said. ‘So the war in Ukraine is important to all of us.’

He added: ‘This war is not just a European crisis, but a challenge to the world order.

‘Beijing is watching closely and learning lessons that may influence its future decisions. What is happening in Europe today could happen in East Asia tomorrow.”

Over the weekend, Stoltenberg made similar warnings about rising tensions with China during a visit to South Korea. It was here that he urged Seoul to increase military support for Ukraine.

Although the North Atlantic Treaty Organization groups 30 countries in Europe and North America, Stoltenberg has said that its members are affected by global threats.

Japan, already a close US ally, has in recent years expanded its military ties with other Indo-Pacific nations, as well as Britain, Europe and NATO amid a growing security threat from China. and North Korea.

Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol became the first leaders of their countries to attend a NATO summit last year, joining as observers.

A Ukrainian serviceman uses his foot to remove snow from the top of a BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicle in the Donetsk region on Monday.

The 23 million self-governing Taiwanese live under constant threat of invasion by authoritarian China, which regards the island as its territory and has vowed to seize it one day, by force if necessary.

China has previously criticized NATO’s efforts to expand its alliances in Asia. Russia, which calls its invasion of Ukraine a “special operation,” has repeatedly portrayed NATO expansion as a threat to its security.

Late last year, Japan unveiled sweeping plans to bolster its defense capabilities, changes once unthinkable for a peace-loving country that will make it the third-biggest military spender after the United States and China.

Strengthening its cooperation with NATO in areas ranging from maritime security and arms control to cyberspace and disinformation will further help respond to the changing strategic environment, the statement added.

The meeting comes as Japan prepares to host the annual Group of Seven (G7) summit in May, when Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is expected to be a major topic of discussion.

Kishida is considering visiting Kyiv in February to reinforce his support for Ukraine in the conflict, national media said.

It comes as Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said the US decision to supply Kyiv with 31 of its fast-moving M1 Abrams tanks was an “extremely destructive step” that “escalated” the war in Ukraine.

Ryabkov said Washington’s apparent insistence on inflicting a “strategic defeat” on Russia means the future of the US-Moscow nuclear arms control treaty is in doubt.

He warned that the last remaining pillar of the treaty could therefore expire. in 2026 without replacement.

Both Russia and the United States still have vast arsenals of nuclear weapons that are currently partially limited by the 2011 New START Treaty, which in 2021 was extended to 2026.

However, what comes after February 4, 2026 is unclear, although Washington has indicated that it wants to reach a follow-on agreement with Russia.

Asked if Moscow could foresee no nuclear arms control treaty after 2026, Ryabkov told the New state agency RIA: ‘This is quite a possible scenario.’