Ex-Russian leader mocks NATO chief’s comments

(MENAFN) Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev took aim at NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, mocking his recent comments that suggested China might urge Russia to launch an attack on NATO territory as a distraction if Beijing were to move on Taiwan.

Rutte, in an interview published Saturday, raised the possibility that Chinese President Xi Jinping could tell Russian President Vladimir Putin: “I’m going to do this, and I need you to keep them busy in Europe by attacking NATO territory.” He also emphasized the need for stronger NATO defenses, warning that “if we don’t, we’ll have to learn Russian.”

Responding on social media platform X, Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, dismissed the scenario with sarcasm.
“SG Rutte has clearly gorged on too many of the magic mushrooms beloved by the Dutch,” he wrote.
“He sees collusion between China & Russia over Taiwan, and then a Russian attack on Europe. But he’s right about one thing: he should learn Russian. It might come in handy in a Siberian camp,” Medvedev added, referencing the harsh prison camps located in remote Russian regions.

Beijing, which maintains its One China policy and views Taiwan as part of its territory, has repeatedly criticized the U.S. and its allies for interfering in what it considers internal affairs. Despite this, Washington continues to provide military support to Taiwan.

Moscow has consistently backed China’s stance on Taiwan, while opposing Western weapons sales and official visits to the island. Russian officials have also strongly rejected suggestions that Russia intends to attack NATO, labeling such claims as unfounded and part of a deliberate narrative intended to justify increased Western militarization.

The Kremlin has argued that these narratives are being used to manufacture an external threat and rally support for military expansion in Europe. According to Russian officials, European governments are leveraging the so-called “Russia threat” to distract from domestic challenges, such as economic stagnation and declining living standards.

“This is simply an attempt to create an artificial external enemy in order to justify such a militaristic line to militarize Europe,” said Kremlin representatives. Spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the warnings about Russian aggression as the “old horror story about the Russian bear,” suggesting it serves as a convenient excuse for deeper problems within European societies.

At a recent NATO summit, member states deliberated over raising defense spending targets to as high as 5% of GDP. However, no consensus was reached, with some European countries warning that such increases could place serious pressure on national budgets and potentially erode public backing for defense initiatives.

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