Moscow - Saba:
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko confirmed that the military expenditures of NATO member states are enormous.
During an interview with the Franco-Russian Dialogue Association, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister said, according to Sputnik News Agency on Tuesday: "We are talking about truly enormous sums of money. Today, the total military budget of NATO countries is $154 billion. The total military expenditures of the European members of the alliance are $456 billion. If we reach 5%, it is still a trillion."
According to Grushko, all costs fall on taxpayers, noting that "allocations for social needs, healthcare, science, and education will have to be sacrificed, and therefore the alliance countries will continue to demonize Russia in order to justify the need to spend so much money.'
He emphasized that "Western propaganda is working with all its might to justify these enormous military expenditures," and that "NATO, along with the European Union, has set the goal of building a security system not only without Russia's participation, but also against Russia."Grushko explained the logic of European politicians, saying: "Tomorrow there will be a war, so everyone will have to tighten their belts. Don't use your brains. There's no point."