DISINFO: NATO Secretary General encourages Joe Biden to clash with Russia
SUMMARY
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg congratulates US president-elect Joe Biden and encourages him to clash with a stronger Russia.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about NATO threatening or encircling Russia.
The congratulatory message from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to US president-elect Joe Biden is purposely misinterpreted, including with a misleading headline, to present the head of NATO as encouraging Biden to clash with Russia.
This is the “lost in translation” technique. In the original congratulatory text, J. Stoltenberg said: “We need this collective strength to deal with the many challenges we face, including a more assertive Russia, international terrorism, cyber and missile threats, and a shift in the global balance of power with the rise of China”.
It is misleading to present it as encouragement to begin a confrontation or clash with Russia.
In the narratives of Kremlin propaganda, NATO is often presented as an aggressive alliance acting against Russia. See examples of similar cases NATO military exercises BALTOPS is anti-Russian, NATO provokes Russia in the Black Sea region, NATO illegally expanded to the borders of Russia.