Chair of the NATO Military Committee Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone explains whether Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea pose a current and coordinated threat to the West.
00:00There is so much to discuss. I mean, this is a regional security gathering, but it has implications on such a broader scale outside of the region.
00:12So let's begin on a broad question. You have said that Russia, China, Iran and North Korea pose an unprecedented challenge to everyone in the West.
00:23Given the heightened global tensions and things that have been discussed here over the past couple of days, do you assess that as a future threat or a very real and present threat?
00:36No, they are. I mean, as a matter of fact, from what we see and we witness, they are a present threat.
00:43And we'll keep on being that that way because, I mean, they are really interacting. They are supporting each other.
00:50I mean, we have the example of a war in Ukraine. That was a war of aggression. It was an aggressor and a defender.
00:57And they are just supporting Russia in a different way. But the links are deep.
01:05They are interacting, I mean, frequently. And, of course, probably Russia would not be able to do whatever it is doing right now without China first,
01:16but also Iran and North Korea support. So it's a present danger that we need to watch carefully.
01:23To NATO's mind, what does victory look like for Ukraine?
01:28Is it a freezing of these current front lines and negotiating a lasting peace?
01:34Or is it Ukraine regaining its sovereign territory?
01:37NATO is for a sovereign territory and for integrity. It's just international law that dictates that no border change must be achieved with violence.
01:48So that means something for us and it stands clearly for us.
01:54First thing, stop shooting. First thing, stop killing.
01:57And then territorial issue, I think they should be handled by the two parts.
02:03And we will support Ukraine in achieving a long-lasting just peace and in reconstruction, which will be challenging too.
02:11And NATO will be side by side.
02:13But as far as territorial, I think that they must be dealt by the two contendants.
02:19We've heard President Trump announce a troop drawback from the eastern parts of the European flank.
02:31How much of a blow is that to NATO?
02:37I mean, if this will happen, we consider that and that will happen in coordination with the alliance, of course.
02:47We are a mature alliance, so I'm expecting, I'm positive, that if one of the stakeholders, even if the biggest one, is redirecting his energies, his attention somewhere else,
03:04which is important for us too, because if one ally is able to intercept any kind of crisis farther away from our area of responsibility, it's even better for us.
03:14So if this happens, I mean, the alliance is a mature, strong alliance, and the other 31 will just shuffle, reshuffle the responsibility, the position, and the strength to fill the gap.
03:32And I think, and I'm positive, that we will face it naturally.
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