cross-posted from: https://lemmy.sdf.org/post/41656039 > Archived > > Russia is still the greatest threat to NATO states, despite elaborate shows of force from China and the unveiling of new weapons in Beijing, Sweden’s defense minister has said. > > Moscow is “without a shadow of a doubt the main threat to Europe, and to NATO,” Pål Jonson told Newsweek on Wednesday. > > Jonson’s remarks on the sidelines of a defense summit in Prague come after China debuted previously unseen or little-known weapons during a massive military parade attended by a host of heads of state, including Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. > > Serbia’s president and Slovakia’s prime minister were the only Western leaders present. > > The parade, which marked 80 years since China’s victory over Japan in World War II, showcased missiles capable of reaching across the world, “robot wolves,” and laser weapons. > > Chinese state media touted the 70-minute spectacle, featuring over 10,000 soldiers, as a display of Beijing’s transformation into a “modern military.” The country for “the first time” showed land-based intercontinental ballistic missiles, as well as air- and sea-launched variants making up a “nuclear triad,” state news agency Xinhua reported.