Russian Security Council Chief Believes AUKUS Directed Against Russia, China

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev described the AUKUS alliance of Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States as another military bloc directed against Russia and China, also emphasizing that this "venture" puts the entire Asian security architecture at risk.

In his interview with Russia's Argumenty i Fakty newspaper, Patrushev described the QUAD alliance, comprised of the US, India, Australia and Japan, as a "prototype of an Asian NATO."

"Washington will try to involve other countries in this organization, chiefly in order to pursue anti-China and anti-Russia policies," Patrushev said.

"A short while ago, a new military bloc was formed in the region, the US-UK-Australian AUKUS, which pursues the same goals. Remarkably, the Americans squeezed their French partners out, grabbing a profitable deal for construction of nuclear submarines for Canberra. Apparently, Atlantic solidarity has a price," Patrushev added.

"For the sake of translating another White House's venture into action, for the sake of strengthening control over the promising Asia-Pacific region, the entire security architecture in Asia is exposed to danger and prerequisites are being created to damage the prestige of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other regional associations," the Russian security council chief concluded.

Speaking about Afghanistan, Nikolai Patrushev warned that the failure of US policies in Afghanistan was creating conditions for a new migration crisis that could be even deeper than the one in 2015.

"After the US fiasco in Afghanistan, conditions are being formed for a new migration crisis, even a more severe one than in 2015. Back then, the Mediterranean saw such a huge influx of refugees from Middle Eastern and North African countries, devastated by the Americans and the Europeans, that figures still cannot be counted," Patrushev said.

The United States and its allies should bear responsibility for undermining stability in foreign countries, including through making compensations, Nikolai Patrushev stressed.

"I believe that the US and its allies should bear responsibility for destruction of sovereign states' economies, for aggravation of inter-ethnic and political problems, and for intensification of terrorist, extremist and other threats, including through making compensations significantly exceeding the trillions they spent to undermine stability around the world," Patrushev said.

The G7 proposal to involve Russia and China in resolving security issues in Central Asia confirms that this association has lost its relevance, Patrushev said.

"With their proposal to involve China and Russia in resolving security issues in Central Asia, the G7 countries confirmed the fact that this association is just a club for discussions. More precisely, for discussions conducted under strict control of Washington," Russian security council chief said.

The Russian security council chief expressed the belief that the G7 format "lost its relevance."

"Russia participates only in international structures and clubs that solve real problems, that prioritize the principle of equality, those where alien standards and rules of conduct are not imposed on anyone," Patrushev added.