The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.
© Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.EU official says Russia shifting war focus to NATO and the West
By MARI YAMAGUCHI TOKYO©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
78 Comments
TheRegulator
Well Nato know all about indiscriminate attacks on infrastructure and civilians. For those who were not around at the time, Google Nato bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. Over 78 days of bombing about 3000 civilians were killed and infrastructure destroyed. Also the Chinese embassy was 'accidently' destroyed with a cruise missile.
albaleo
I hope Europe and the US have a goal beyond providing arms to Ukraine. Providing arms will simply prolong the war and the suffering. What is the goal? If it's simply to return all the currently Russian controlled lands to Ukraine, then I think it's doomed. Russia will not accept that. Ideally, it would be for the people of the contested areas to decide their futures. Can that still be achieved? Perhaps not, but I've yet to hear any European or American politicians even mention the idea of self determination. Meanwhile, the people of those areas will continue to suffer, with or without tanks.
Moonraker
Yes, that NATO bombing would have been wrong the way you characterise it, Reg, but it still doesn't make this barbaric, Russian terror campaign right, right?
cenobite
Give Ukraine some stealth bombers on the condition they only use them within Ukraine. Job done.
Hello Kitty 321
The German foreign minister and several others have already stated that the west is at war with Russia
M3M3M3
The NATO bombing was wrong not because it was particularly cruel or barbaric (these are largely subjective opinions), but because it violated international law. The invasion of Ukraine also violates international law but the timeline is important. For decades the West (the US in particular) has consistently ignored international law in pursuit of its geopolitical interests but now they insist other nations must strictly abide by them. Without any expectation of reciprocity, it makes no sense for Russia, or any country, to bind itself by rules that other players refuse to follow.
Sanjinosebleed
Gee double speak much??
The EU is supplying unlimited weapons to Ukraine of increasing advanced and destructive nature but its Russia who is upping the ante? What complete lies!
Justchillin
Sadly it’s exactly the opposite, the EU is now funding the war. You can’t stop a war by sending more weapons, especially against Russia who has almost endless resources to continue.
Get the table and negotiate!! Is the only way to stop this madness. But also this is sadly blocked by the wanna be Rambo Zelensky. Of course what Putin does seems barbaric but what Zelensky does is at least equally irresponsible.
Axel
Statement from the Russian Embassy in the UK:
Whilst in Kiev some days ago, former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson added his voice to the score of self-revealing public statements by European politicians that confirm the intentional double-dealing and procrastination by Western states on the issue of a negotiated settlement on Donbass in 2014-2022.
We regret that forgeries, fraud and falsification have become an inalienable part of the Western foreign policy toolbox. This is as ugly as it gets. These methods run counter to the objective of building stable European security, unless the goal is actually the notorious “rules-based world order” NATO and the EU are so fond of.
As for Mr Johnson, we call on him to never forget that thousands of innocent civilians of Donbass have become victims of his and his colleagues’ “diplomatic charade”.
Haaa Nemui
New tactic. When you’ve got nothing, bring out the stupid irrelevant garbage…
Actually, for the quoted poster, it’s not a new tactic.
Strangerland
You seem to be suggesting that Ukraine should just surrender? You realize that's the only way the war ends other than Russia going home right. Are you honestly suggesting Ukraine just pander to Putin and let Russia murder their civilians?
I assume you must mean something else, but I can't figure out what it is.
Stephen Chin
How could an important official like Stephan Sannino say that Russia will now extend the war to Nato? Does Mr Sannino not know that multiple countries are members of Nato? And to bring the war to one Nato country will bring the collective might of all Nato member countries against Russia? Putin must know that to extend his special military operation to one Nato country could be and would be suicidal for Russia.
xin xin
Major lesson for Japan, Taiwan and Asia in general from the Russian aggression is that China will behave in the exact same way given the chance created by appeasement. The Russian war effort is not possible for even one month without tacit but intense Chinese help. In return, Russia will help China achieve its Asian ambitions and more.
Strangerland
Russia is going to be too busy trying to keep it's people from starving to death after being cut off from humanity to be able to help China with anything. Basically North Korea part two.
obladi
Good luck with that, Putin. If you couldn't beat Ukraine, I doubt you are any match for their patrons.
Fighto!
Every little bit of help for free Ukraine against the invading Russian fascists is welcome - tanks, artillery, training and support.
Fascist Russia have failed to achieve their goals in almost 1 year. If they want to keep sending lambs to their slaughter, be it on shaky little Putin. Blow them all back to hell.
Justchillin
I mean a ceasefire to begin with Strangerland. Both parties act now like angry little kids, killing thousands of people on both sides to feed their ego.
The chances that Russia will simply just go home are as small as Ukraine winning the war and expel ALL Russians from the Donbas and Crimea (that’s what the genius’ Zelensky’s conditions are). So we are looking at 10 years plus war and millions of deaths.
There must be a hybrid solution. And this can only be achieved by serious talks - and compromises. Not by violence.
Axel
Unfortunately for NATO, all its most formidable weapons short of nukes, in which Russia has superiority vs USA, France and UK combined, have been or will shortly be burned up in the Ukraine.
Moonraker
Still don't make barbaric targetting of civilians right. Maybe my standards are higher than international law. And I believe we all should have such standards. And if not, we may as well state that anarchy and nihilism are the way forward.
Mark
Anyone who may think that NATO is not at war with Russia is a FOOL.
Fighto!
Yeah - North Korea is such a bastion of civilisation that millions of citizens are forced to boil grass and any insects they find simply to survive day-to-day.
Is it any surprise supporters of Russia look up to the greatness of North Korea?
Axel
If Russian expels American occupation forces from Europe and China does from China, it'll be better for everyone, not least Americans who may be able to have access to universal health care, lower taxes, higher wages, better public services, cheap housing for the poor and etc.
Haaa Nemui
China isn’t as interested in helping Russia as the Russians hope.
TokyoLiving
But what could they expect??, if pathetic west and NATO circus are sending tons of weapons and now tanks to Ukraine regime...
Kuku
wallace
Yesterday, was the Holocaust Memorial Day. Shamefully, Putin used it to claim he was protecting persecuted Jews in Ukraine. The man has no limits.
Ego Sum Lux Mundi
Well, for its part Croatia very sensibly wants no part of NATO’s war on Russia:
Neither, apparently, does France.
But while it takes two to tango, it only takes one to war. And Russia is now “at war with NATO and the West” thanks to the DC neocons’ successful escalation of the conflict in Ukraine.
The vast majority of Asian and Arab nations have already taken Russia’s side. The African nations don’t really matter, but they will do so as well, especially South Africa. I expect that more than a few European nations will follow suit once it becomes abundantly clear to even the most casual observer that NATO has zero chance of winning the war. And when I say zero, I mean ZERO. None whatsoever.
Based on a comparison of the technological and industrial capacities, the United States and the UK have about the same chance of defeating the Sino-Russian alliance as Japan had of defeating the US/UK alliance in WWII. Which is just one reason why no American or European should lift a finger, let alone risk his life, for Clown World and its wicked disorder.
kurisupisu
…
Not a valid comparison in the slightest.
Russia is many times the size of NK.
I don’t notice many emaciated Russians on my trips to SE Asia nor do I see any North Koreans.
Note that Russia is in the midst of fighting a war right now
Oil and gas and the infrastructure to move those precious resources ensure that Russians are doing better than most and will do better i the future
ian
very advantageous war for nato. They can war for as long as they like and weaken Russia, without incurring any casualties, only Ukrainians would be sacrificed in the process
kyushubill
About time. NATO and pals have been the root of all war for the last 25 years.
Tamarama
Germany and the US committing their tanks to the conflict to compliment the rather token UK pledge marks a significant shift in the war. Those with a good grasp of history will understand both the brevity of German deciding to shift away from neutrality to oppose Russia, and the US offering hardware to fight Russia right at its doorstep. My feeling is that Russia didn't believe that those countries would actually become involved like this and it has both significantly upped the stakes and left the Kremlin with some rather serious choices to make.
The US and Russia have danced around each other for 70 years without coming into direct conflict, but they are only separated by degrees now. What does Putin do? My feeling is that, whilst he may love to pit himself against the NATO alliance, the people of Russia most certainly will not. I doubt the Russian forces will want to either. If Putin looks to force the issue, I think the whole regime becomes substantially endangered.
NATO are calling his bluff here. It's a very serious escalation.
Lord Dartmouth
Bizarre. NATO is ramping up its weapons supplies to Ukraine while it accuses Russia of expanding the war to include NATO (which there is no evidence of). Something stinks here.
Fredrik
That's a good excuse. Well, they had one year already to train Ukrainian troops to operate these, right?
Nemo
Because the original war has gone so well for them, right?
Why wouldn't the Russians with their degraded army, MIA air farse, and buoyancy-curious navy want to go to war with a coalition united in its recognition of the threat and equipped with weapons the Russians can only dream of?
itsonlyrocknroll
The Russian Government has brought through aggression, threats of tactical nuclear war, crimes against humanity, the rape of children, the bombardment of civilian families, torture.
The dictatorship of Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin regime has created through its own actions the prospect of war in europe, and possibly a global conflict event that could have an existential threat to humanity.
There are two clear choices appeasement or collative engagement, sacrifice could well become inevitable.
That is the choice.
itsonlyrocknroll
We are on opposite side of opinion. Bronco
The Russian Government created, when taking the decision to invade Ukraine wholesale.
The global community has slowly but decisively demanded that the Russian Government withdraw before a framework for any negotiated truce.
The die has been cast, politically, maybe there will be a window of opportunity that diplomacy can stall the process, halt Putin's dogs of war.
However, choices will still have to be made.
AviBajaj
Please Leave China for India other Asian countries are strictly requested to not take part as it will b over kill for China
itsonlyrocknroll
The actions of the Russian Government is a inevitable consequence of a shift or clash in political ideology.
The Global community, to the extent of the G7 have supported Ukraine with armaments/heavy weapons.
The European Union, acting as a Union with some exceptions have or are about to provide logistical support for the battlefield use of those armaments/heavy weapons leading to the possible supply of fighter jets
These are the choices, the possible outcome is still a matter of conjecture.
However the ticking clock for any form of change will rest on the Russian Government withdrawal.
Haaa Nemui
There are people on here that have talked about videos on Telegram showing NATO soldiers coming under fire and either being slaughtered or surrendering. Are you telling us this isn’t true?
Haaa Nemui
Maybe not “taken a side” so to speak but the vast majority has actually voted to condemn the Russian invasion and call for their immediate withdrawal. Granted, with the countries that abstained, it may not be the vast majority of the world’s population but it is certainly the vast majority of the world’s nations.
Haaa Nemui
So in other words, yes, you are saying it isn’t true.
It’s the Russians that are raping and murdering women and children.
Haaa Nemui
The biggest liar in this is Putin.
itsonlyrocknroll
Bronco
I think your comment provokes quite rightly the question....
What is NATO?
https://www.nato.int/nato-welcome/index.html
NATO is not in a position under international treaty law to intervene collectively in this war, Ukraine is not a member.
Individual countries have taken it upon themselves, the decision to provide logistical as well as armaments/ heavy weapons.
However NATO cannot intervene directly.
ian
But it very much want to, reason why the eu representative above is trying very hard to say that Russia is now shifting its focus into warring with nato and the west which was the reason why they are sending tanks now to Ukraine.
Is it true what he's saying that Russia is now warring with nato?
Nemo
The Russians could p-off to their side of the border I dare say that would result in an immediate session of hostilities.
Nemo
Poni-boi had better hope that NATO never decides to confront Russia directly as Russia’s own simulation shows its conventional forces losing quickly and decisively.
Nemo
Alex finally said something accurate in an unintentional but remarkable self-own:
Fascists do indeed tend to overestimate the ability of their military and underestimate the will of those they seek to subjugate to resist.
Yrral
The European are dysfunctional in their response to Putin
itsonlyrocknroll
Ian I agree a number of NATO members would lobby, have been lobbying for a direct role, intervention.
The Treaty is unequivocal.
It would be dishonest to discount the nature of this conflict, and the fact that escalation could bring EU member states into direct conflict with Russian forces.
These are the choices I suggested, were soon to be faced with action or a policy associated with appeasement, fully Instituted in the vain hope of avoiding all out war
itsonlyrocknroll
I hope I am misguided and proven wrong
ian
You could be wrong but certainly not misguided
Kuku
This morning, the Ukrainians attacked the building of the regional hospital in Novoaidar (LPR) with US-made HIMARS multiple launch rocket systems. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, 14 patients and medical personnel died here. 24 people were injured. Of course, I didn’t want to cast pearls in front of the haters, but there are many adequate people here who are simply deprived of complete information about the war. There will be an article on JT, I wonder?
RKL
BroncoJan. 28 06:45 pm JST
I'm saying that NATO soldiers are sitting on couches watching Ukrainians die on TV fighting their war for them.
This is the reality.
A war is taking place in the EU's backyard yet they are calling on their neighbor across the pond to do something about it.
JoshK
And all of this could've been avoided had NATO not pressured former Soviet-blocs into siding with the west. If Russia had an anti-US alliance with Canada to host Russian missiles pointed at the US, the US would invade Canada immediately. That is not debatable. See the Cuban missile crisis and the Bay of Pigs.
The US needs to stay neutral in certain foreign governments.
Kuribozu
And all of this could've been avoided had NATO not pressured former Soviet-blocs into siding with the west.
This is your problem. You equate the desire to escape a brutal, oppressive, backwards, psychotic, murderous kleptocracy with 'siding with the west.' That's pure Kremlin propaganda, cover for Putin to expand his repressive dictatorship beyond his borders using his Orc army, killing and maiming as he goes.
If Russia had an anti-US alliance with Canada to host Russian missiles pointed at the US, the US would invade Canada immediately.
Another Kremlin line, intended to confuse and distract. Canada is a free democracy, where human and civil rights, rule of law, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, etc., are enshrined and strong. It's pure delusional fantasy to imagine Canadians would be attracted by the Russian model, let alone enter an alliance with the murderous psychopath Putin to oppose another liberal democracy. You and your minders can't stand the idea that liberal democracies are actually attractive examples to people around the world, and that societies on Russia's periphery might actually do as much as they can to avoid falling into Putin's loving embrace.
JoshK
@kuribozu
Who said anything about authoritarianism and dictatorship? Russia didn't give a crap whether Ukraine is a Democratic or a Fascist country. They only care about Ukraine siding with the west against Russia.
Again, this has nothing to do with being a democracy or not. This has to do with neighboring countries potentially siding with a hostile country. The US has already done the same as Russia - see the Cuban missile crisis and the Bay of Pigs. No country would feel comfortable with a neighboring country pointing missiles at them.
All that the US and NATO had to do was mind their own business. Russia didn't have to be a threat. They just want to be left alone and sell gas.
Yrral
The US should be focus on it on problem,like Ukraine was not focus on it own problem, America has been neglectful on it own internal problems that it should not be telling others to deal with their problem ,been there done this in Iraq and Afghanistan ,the European are like a drowning man,they will grab at anything,and drag everyone down with them
JoshK
@Yrral
Agreed. The US already has enough problems on its own. There was no reason for us to get involved with Ukraine. The war was entirely avoidable. Only the biggest clowns disagree. Either they're legitimately stupid or they're wearing their anti-Russia blinders.
Russia hasn't been a threat since the 90s; they would have continued being a non-issue if we just left them alone.
JoshK
Before anyone gets the wrong idea and calls me a Kremlin puppet or a MAGA idiot, I also don't support Russia. I think Russia is also at fault for the invasion. There is plenty of blame to go around in this situation, and it is foolish to say the US and NATO are not at fault when they could have just stayed neutral.
Haaa Nemui
This maybe true, but it was Russia themselves that initially crossed the border with the stated intention of “denazifying” Ukraine, which is certainly about a specific form of authoritarianism.
Kuribozu
All that the US and NATO had to do was mind their own business. Russia didn't have to be a threat. They just want to be left alone and sell gas.
That is clearly not the case, as Russia was selling plenty of gas prior to invading Ukraine, including to NATO and EU. No other countries were bothering them. No, Russia didn't want to see Ukraine continue to modernize, liberalize and democratize, which would present Russia's own people with an example that would threaten the oligarchs and kleptocrats who run the whole gulag operation. The threat to Russia was the Ukrainian people's desire to govern themselves freely without being oppressed by Russia, not some vague notion of 'siding with the west.'
JoshK
@Haaa Nemui
This is true, but Putin was just trying to put a positive spin on their invasion. I doubt he actually cared about Nazism. The actual reason was US & NATO pressuring Ukraine to side with them against Russia.
Russia is to blame for the invasion, but so are the US and other countries who kept meddling in other countries. This invasion didn't have to happen.
If US enemies did the same thing to Canada and Mexico, the US would storm their countries and topple their governments in a month. No one wants a hostile country pointing missiles at them.
@kuribozu
Right. The Soviet Union collapsed in the 90s. Russia doesn't have satellite states anymore. They just sold gas and minded their own business for the most part.
Also, the US forced Ukraine to give up their nukes. I doubt Russia would invade another nuclear power. There's plenty of blame to go around. Russia isn't entirely to blame for the invasion.
Danielsan
Every nations foreign policy is dictated in private by arms dealers.
This whole shameful charade is no more than a huge dog and pony show to boost arm sales and enrich evil munitions manufacturers who are loyal to no one but themselves.
Haaa Nemui
oh I’m sure he didn’t care and still doesn’t. It was solely spin to get an unsupportive public on side for the invasion. The actual reasons are debatable. There is no doubt that the U.S. and NATO have been involved, but Putin claimed to have no concern about Finland and Sweden joining NATO. More NATO countries right on Russia’s border. In the early days Putin also claimed that it was just a matter of time before Ukraine attacked Russia so pre-empting was the only option. If it was really such an imminent threat, we might have expected Ukraine to at least have a much better capability of defense from the beginning. All Putin’s invasion did was garner more support globally for Ukraine. It looks so much like a pure land grab that even traditionally neutral countries like Switzerland joined the crowd against Russia.
Before this invasion, I, and I’m sure many others, really wanted Russia to succeed globally. The heritage, culture, architecture, there was so much they had to offer. But now Putin is almost single handedly destroying that.
itsonlyrocknroll
Ukraine is a battle ground, the human costs are harrowing appalling.
Europe/US has chosen to link arms and support defend Ukraine at increasing costs.
President Putin course of action has provoked this backlash.
His dictatorship has brought us all to the point of possible global conflict.
Ukraine is not a NATO member, so any suggestion that NATO should intervene is a serious breach of international law.
NATO has never taken a stance just warned of the consequences of failure to respond to clear Russian Government aggression.
itsonlyrocknroll
Awa no Gaijin
NATO cannot take a collative stance where members are concerned, the treaty is unequivocal.
Ukraine is not a member of NATO.
However, I understand you skepticism. Politics and war blur the red lines
itsonlyrocknroll
The global community, its people are in a state of apprehension, yes fear.
The threats of escalation to a nuclear stalemate, the battle field brutality cannot reveal a blood stained victor.
Then where does this leave us people?
We are left as the people in Ukraine to die the mud and mayhem of all-out war.
This is the consequence of dictatorship.
FizzBit
Well let’s hope so!
I’ve always wanted to see a mushroom cloud with my own eyes.
I’m hoping Biden’s face will appear in all of them so everyone will know who started
WW III.
Kuku
"Today in Bakhmut, units of PMC" Wagner "found bodies with cut off heads and hands. As well as telephones and other information that these bodies belong to mercenaries, whom the enemy could not pull out due to dense fighting and thus tried to hide their personalities. However, electronic media were found along with the bodies," said Prigozhin, whose words are quoted in the Telegram channel of his press service.
According to him, "all the bodies and other evidence will soon be transferred to the investigating authorities for further decisions."
I don't know how to interptete it, maybe NATO and the West themselves came to the war.