Elon Musk's NATO comments spark controversy, mirror Kremlin stance

The conversation began with Sacks, who noted, "In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, and NATO faced an existential crisis: its founding purpose had vanished. Instead of disbanding, it embarked on a new mission: expansion. This expansion of NATO would provoke the hostility needed to justify its continued existence," as shared on the platform X.

In further posts, Sacks aligned with the Putin narrative, asserting that "NATO aimed to prevent war, so it expanded to Russia's borders, attempting to encircle it, thus provoking a response."

Elon Musk then weighed in on the millionaire's post: "I've always been curious, why does NATO still exist, even though its primary adversary, the Warsaw Pact, has disbanded?" - penned the owner of platform X.

However, Musk's statement is incorrect because the Warsaw Pact was formed in response to NATO, not the other way around. Users also utilized the correction tool introduced by Musk to amend the inaccurate information he shared.

Musk's comment quickly spread across Kremlin-affiliated media, with propagandists "applauding" his viewpoint. The billionaire's remarks seamlessly fit into the misleading narrative fostered by the Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, who cites the supposed expansion of NATO to justify his unwarranted aggression against a defenseless neighbor.

Putin's invasion of Ukraine has led to Finland becoming the 31st member of NATO, with Sweden on the brink of acceptance.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov previously expressed that after the Warsaw Pact dissolved and the Soviet Union politically receded, "there was hope for a true, undivided commitment to multilateralism in the Euro-Atlantic region."

Lavrov lamented that "Western nations not only preserved NATO but also, breaking their promises, aggressively pursued the incorporation of neighboring areas, including territories of vital interest to Russia."

Founded in 1955, the Warsaw Pact included most Eastern Bloc countries and outlined mutual assistance if one was threatened by capitalist states. It was dissolved in 1991.

The primary goal of the Warsaw Pact was a collective military defense against any attack on its members, serving as a counterbalance to NATO, established in 1949 and continually expanding.

On July 1, 1991, leaders from Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and the USSR signed an agreement in Prague to dissolve the Warsaw Pact. Among the signatories were Wojciech Jaruzelski, the President of Poland, and Gennady Yanayev, the Vice President of the Soviet Union.