In an interview with Times Radio, General Sir Nick Carter, chief of the defence staff, said current relations between Russia and the rest of the world are more worrying today than they were during the Cold War. According to the top military official, there is a “greater risk” of accidental war.
“We’re in a much more competitive world than we were even ten or 15 years ago,” he said.
“And I think the nature of the competition between states and great powers leads to greater tensions.
“We have to be careful that people don’t end up allowing the bellicose nature of some of our politics to end up in a position where escalation leads to miscalculation.
“Many of the traditional diplomatic tools and mechanisms that you and I grew up with in the Cold War, these are no longer there.
“And without those, there is a greater risk.
“That’s a real challenge we are confronted with.
“When you and I were growing up, it was a bipolar world.
“Two blocks, the Soviet Union and the West.
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Although Moscow has claimed no responsibility in the current situation, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko is known as a close ally to Russia.
General Sir Nick Carter said that Russia was prepared to go to any lengths to undermine western Europe and the US, including using mass migration and cutting Europe’s gas supply.
On Friday, President Joe Biden said on Friday he contacted the Kremlin out of concern.
“We communicated our concern to Russia, we communicated our concern to Belarus,” he said.
“We think it’s a problem.”