Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

State Department confirms leaked NATO documents are authentic

State Department confirms leaked NATO documents are authentic

US diplomats and military brass synchronize their messaging on Ukraine docs
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters that the US and NATO’s written response to Russia’s security demands, leaked to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, are genuine. Both the State Department and the Pentagon denied being behind the leaks, but stood by them.

Originally intended to remain classified, documents published by El Pais on Wednesday revealed that the US and NATO have rejected Russia’s request that the alliance halt its eastward expansion, and NATO’s response also reiterated its support for “the right of other states to choose or change security arrangements,” rebuking Russia’s demand that it accept neither Ukraine nor any new members, and called on Moscow to withdraw from Ukraine, suggesting that the bloc wants Russia to cede control of Crimea to Kiev.

“We did not make these documents public, but now that they are, we can confirm what we have always said,” Price told reporters at a press conference later on Wednesday.

“We are united with our NATO allies … we have gone the extra mile to seek, to find, to test the proposition that there is a diplomatic solution to this crisis.”

Price’s statement was almost identical to one made earlier by Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, who also denied that the US was behind the leak, yet celebrated the documents now being out in the open.

Neither Price nor Kirby outrightly rejected the idea that another NATO ally could have leaked the files to El Pais, which is a consistently pro-NATO newspaper.

Asked to directly confirm the veracity of the files, Price replied “I have seen nothing to suggest that these documents are not authentic.”

“If the source of these documents, whoever that source may be, thought that by leaking them that they would embarrass the US,” Kirby continued with a smile, “they will find that they were sorely mistaken.”

While both Price and Kirby said in unison that the US has “gone the extra mile” to seek a diplomatic solution to the Ukraine crisis, Moscow does not see things that way. Russia has repeatedly called for an end to NATO’s expansion into the former Warsaw Pact states, a promise the US-led West made at the end of the Cold War but subsequently reneged on.

Russia also points to the 1999 OSCE Charter for European Security, which says that each country “has an equal right to security,” and countries “will not strengthen their security at the expense of the security of other states.” While Western leaders claim that NATO is a purely defensive alliance and its expansion to Russia’s borders would not threaten Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian media last week that it was “difficult” to view the alliance this way, considering its interventions in Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, and Libya.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×