Lavrov: NATO Mission in Afghanistan Ended in “Failure and Disgrace”

DID Press: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has criticized NATO’s continued existence after the Cold War, saying the alliance’s military mission in Afghanistan ended in “failure and disgrace” and ultimately forced Western forces to withdraw.

Speaking on the sidelines of the Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok, Lavrov argued that NATO should have been dissolved after the collapse of the Soviet Union, just as the Warsaw Pact was. He said the alliance instead sought new threats and justifications to maintain its role.

Lavrov said the September 11, 2001 attacks provided NATO with a pretext to expand its mission and military presence in Afghanistan. He argued that the operation ultimately ended unsuccessfully with the withdrawal of Western forces.

The Russian foreign minister also said that after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, the alliance shifted its focus from the former Soviet threat to what he described as a new “Russian threat,” which he claimed NATO continues to use to justify its activities.

Lavrov has repeatedly criticized the U.S. and NATO military presence in Afghanistan and portrayed the 2021 withdrawal as evidence of the failure of Western military policy. His latest comments reflect Moscow’s broader criticism of NATO and its post-Cold War role.

The U.S.-led NATO military presence in Afghanistan began after the September 11 attacks and continued for nearly two decades. The last U.S. troops left Afghanistan on August 30, 2021, bringing the longest war in U.S. history to an end.

Lavrov’s assessment is a political characterization by the Russian government; NATO and its member states have disputed Moscow’s broader portrayal of the alliance’s role and continue to regard NATO as a collective-defence organization.