Russia Calls NATO Comments on Preemptive Strike ‘Extremely Irresponsible’

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused NATO of ‘whipping up’ anti-Russian hysteria of an imminent attack by Moscow.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova in Moscow on Jan. 14, 2025. Reuters/Evgenia Novozhenina

Russia said on Dec. 1 that remarks by NATO’s top military officer that the alliance could consider a “preemptive strike” were “extremely irresponsible.”

Italian Navy Adm. Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of NATO’s military committee, said earlier that day that the organization was considering being “more aggressive” against hybrid warfare from Moscow.