russia must stop using false pretexts for escalation – NATO chief

The russian federation "must not use false pretexts for further escalation" of the war in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated this, EP reports.

"russia now falsely claims Ukraine is preparing to use a radiological 'dirty bomb' on its own territory. 

NATO Allies reject this transparently false allegation," the NATO chief stressed on board the USS George H.W. Bush, the American aircraft carrier leading NATO's Neptune Strike exercises in the Mediterranean.

Stoltenberg was on board the warship as a guest.

"russia often accuses others of what they intend to do themselves. We have seen this pattern before, from Syria to Ukraine. russia must not use false pretexts for further escalation. The world is watching closely," he added.

He further condemned Iran's military support to russia in its war in Ukraine, saying "no country should be helping the aggressor in an illegal war," and welcomed the sanctions that Allies and the European Union are implementing on Tehran. 

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The Western alliance said that the US aircraft carrier is currently leading NATO's Neptune Strike 2022 exercise.

More than 80 aircraft, 14 ships, and about 6,000 military troops from NATO and partner countries participate.

According to Stoltenberg, the Neptune Strike exercises "tests our readiness to deter and defend across the Euro-Atlantic area."

Recently, russia's defense minister Sergei Shoigu and the chief of russia's general staff, Valery Gerasimov, have intensified their telephone conversations with their Western colleagues about the alleged planned provocation of Ukraine.

The governments of the United States of America, France, and the UK have released the text of a statement regarding russian accusations of the possible use of a "dirty bomb" by Ukraine.

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Rafael Grossi, said on Monday that the organization's inspectors would soon visit two nuclear facilities in Ukraine amid russia's accusations of a "dirty bomb."

The UN Security Council will hold a closed-door meeting early Tuesday to discuss russia's unproven accusations that Ukraine is planning to build a "dirty bomb."