NATO warns Russia not to exploit pandemic

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NATO warns Russia not to exploit pandemic

By James Crisp

London: NATO is ready to face down any threat from Russia despite the pandemic, the military alliance has warned Moscow.

The outbreak has forced NATO to cancel some military exercises, including the US-led "Defender-Europe 20".

Meanwhile, Russia, which is suspected of a campaign of disinformation about the virus, has been flexing its muscles in exercises close to the allies' borders, including in UK waters.

NATO's Jens Stoltenberg has warned Moscow not to use COVID-19 as cover.

NATO's Jens Stoltenberg has warned Moscow not to use COVID-19 as cover.Credit: Bloomberg

Jets from NATO air forces have intercepted Russian warplanes several times in recent weeks and alliance naval vessels shadowed seven Russian warships loitering unusually in the North Sea for several days.

Russian forces had also carried out a snap military exercise close to Europe's borders, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

Russian military medical staff prepare to board a cargo plane that sent medical personnel and supplies to Italy last month.

Russian military medical staff prepare to board a cargo plane that sent medical personnel and supplies to Italy last month.Credit: AP

Stoltenberg insisted that "operational readiness" was unimpaired and that the alliance's ability to defend itself has not been weakened.

"Our primary objective is to ensure that this health crisis does not become a security crisis," Stoltenberg said at a news conference before a video meeting of foreign ministers from the 30-strong alliance on Thursday.

NATO has had to cancel an upcoming military exercise because of the new coronavirus.

NATO has had to cancel an upcoming military exercise because of the new coronavirus.Credit: AP

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The ministers were due to discuss their response to the pandemic, which has killed 30,000 people in Europe. They are expected to issue a joint statement warning Russia and other potential enemies that NATO is still a potent force.

"Our operational readiness is maintained, it is not undermined," Stoltenberg said. We continue to patrol the skies and to defend our borders and we continue our missions and operations. The threats and the challenges we're faced with don't disappear because of the COVID-19 crisis."

'Our primary objective is to ensure that this health crisis does not become a security crisis.'

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO

The snap military operation, near St Petersburg and Europe's border, involved 82,000 servicemen and women, including the Russian air force, the strategic missile force as well as radiological, chemical and biological defence troops, engineers and medics.

Tobias Ellwood, chairman of the British defence select committee, said it was imperative that the price for tackling the pandemic "should not include dropping our guard on adversaries and competitors who will not think twice about exploiting this global crisis for their own cause".

Warnings were also issued by European Union countries who urged governments to exercise restraint when adopting emergency measures to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, an apparent rebuke of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's move to take sole command of his nation.

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Without specifically naming Hungary, the 13 countries said they were "deeply concerned about the risk of violations of the principles of rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights," according to a joint statement published on Wednesday, local time, on the website of the Dutch government. The other signatories were Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain and Sweden.

Hungary's parliament, where Orban has a two-thirds majority, on Monday gave the premier the right to rule by decree indefinitely as long as he sees fit and the power to bypass the legislation on any law. The leader, who's ruled the country continuously for 10 years, gave assurances that the measure won't threaten democracy and that he'd hand decision-making back to lawmakers when the pandemic passes.

But opponents see the move as an unprecedented power grab by a man who's repeatedly clashed with the EU's mainstream over the state of Hungary's democracy and rule of law. They support the European Commission's plan to monitor emergency measures and their application.

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"We need to jointly overcome this crisis and to jointly uphold our European principles and values on this path," they said in the statement. "Emergency measures should be limited to what is strictly necessary, should be proportionate and temporary in nature, subject to regular scrutiny" and need to respect the EU's principles.

The Russian Ministry of Defence made no comment in response to the NATO warning when contacted.

The Telegraph, London; Bloomberg

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