Nato says Russia, alliance pose no threat to each other

Nato and Russia pose no threat to each other, the Western military alliance said yesterday after leaked US diplomatic cables revealed Nato plans to defend Baltic states against Moscow.

Nato spokeswoman Oana Lungescu did not confirm the reported plans to protect Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia from any Russian threat but she pointed out that the alliance’s core mission is to defend each other from any attack.

“As a matter of policy, Nato does not discuss the contents of confidential documents or defence plans,” Ms Lungescu said in a statement.

“But Nato has always had and will continue to have appropriate plans to protect all allies. This is at the core of our collective defence task,” she said.

She recalled that NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen had stated at a summit in Lisbon last month that “NATO and Russia pose no threat to each other.”