Classified document leak shows U.S. double standards, says expert

A huge slogan board stands in front of the U.S. Capitol building during a protest against government surveillance in Washington D.C., capital of the United Sates, on Oct. 26, 2013. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

"Double standards are visible in many fields in American politics today," a professor at the University of Zagreb told Xinhua.

ZAGREB, April 12 (Xinhua) -- The reported leaks of classified Pentagon documents show the United States' double standards as it is engaged in spying on countries, including its allies, while it accuses other countries of engaging in network surveillance, a Croatian expert said here on Wednesday.

"In many respects, America has double standards, as it accuses others of what it is doing itself. Double standards are visible in many fields in American politics today," Hrvoje Klasic, a professor at the University of Zagreb, told Xinhua in an interview.

The leaks of classified U.S. documents show that Washington is trying to gather information from everyone, including its allies, "because it clearly does not trust anyone completely," Klasic said, adding that it is the same case with Ukraine, as the documents revealed that the U.S. has been spying on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Demonstrators hold placards and banners to protest against government surveillance in Washington D.C., capital of the United Sates, on Oct. 26, 2013. (Xinhua/Fang Zhe)

Eavesdropping on everyone, including its allies, is nothing new for the United States, and the leaks of classified military documents certainly "cast a new picture" on the background of the Ukraine crisis, Klasic noted.

In May 2021, Denmark's national broadcaster DR News reported that the Danish Defense Intelligence Service had given the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) open internet access to spy on senior politicians of neighboring countries, including then German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

That exposure somewhat cooled off the relations between the U.S. and Europe and showed that the transatlantic alliance faced countless challenges, Klasic said.

Photo taken on Aug. 15, 2022 shows the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) headquarters behind security fencing in Washington, D.C., the United States. TO GO WITH "World Insights: Rising concern about political violence in U.S. after Mar-a-Lago search" (Xinhua/Liu Jie)

The reported leaks of highly classified documents that have been trending online recently shed light on the extensive spying activities conducted by Washington on its allies and foes alike, as the latest leaks of documents have raised concerns from U.S.-friendly nations involved, while other allies are also conducting damage assessments to determine if their own sources and methods have been compromised.

Earlier this month, reports on batches of alleged U.S. intelligence documents that were uploaded on social media platforms such as Twitter and Telegram grabbed headlines.

According to U.S. officials, several of the documents are authentic and are believed to have been generated between mid-February and early March. They contain extensive top-secret data related to U.S.-friendly nations, including Ukraine, South Korea and Israel.

Photo taken on Dec. 8, 2022 shows the U.S. Capitol building in Washington, D.C., the United States. The U.S. Congress approved a bill on same-sex marriage on Thursday and sent it to the White House. (Xinhua/Liu Jie)