Dutch Foreign Minister caught lying about the "Russian" threat!

Thanks to Azad for the link!

via Reuters

Dutch Foreign Minister Halbe Zijlstra admitted on Monday he had lied about hearing Russian President Vladimir Putin make comments about plans for a “greater Russia”, unleashing a storm of criticism

“I told an untruth, it was unacceptable,” he told reporters. Zijlstra, who is scheduled to meet his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow in two days’ time, said he had been “stupid” and regretted his behavior.

While election campaigning two years ago, Zijlstra said that in 2006 he had been at Putin’s dacha when he heard the Kremlin leader speak of plans for a “greater Russia” which would include some of Russia’s neighbors.

“I was tucked away back in the room, but I could clearly hear Putin’s answer to the question about what he considered greater Russia,” Zijlstra told a gathering in 2016 of his People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy, which heads the new Dutch government.

Story here. 

Why do I include this story on a military blog?  Simple, its to back up my claim that Russia charging across its borders to gobble up Europe is a fabrication.

During other times it would be a fiction that we could live with.  It could be used to increase defense spending for the Army (and now the Marine Corps in the Nordic nations) and could goad our allies into doing the same.

But the threats we face are more complex and we don't have time to deal with the foolishness.

Russia is building its nuclear forces to PREVENT Europe/US from hazarding its borders and its conventional forces while formidable are no threat to the West.

Cyber?  I don't know.  All indications are that they are playing games but exploiting tensions in the US?  Doubtful!  The very dynamics they're said to be playing with would be in play regardless.

But even if you don't believe anything I've written here, take note.  A Dutch politician used this "threat" to ride into office.  At the very least that should be punished.