NATO’s preparedness to defend against any attack deters nuclear threats, Stoltenberg said. We are there to preserve peace, to prevent escalation and prevent any attack on NATO-allied countries.” “We need to understand that NATO’s firm, predictable behavior – our military strength – is the best way to prevent escalation. The secretary-general added that it would send a “very wrong signal” if NATO canceled the nuclear drill because of the Ukraine crisis. And this is a long-time-planned exercise, actually planned before the invasion of Ukraine.” “Now is the right time to be firm and to be clear that NATO is there to protect and defend all allies. For his part, Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed that his country will use “all the means available to us” to defend its people and territory – a statement that Washington and its NATO allies perceived as a threat to deploy nuclear weapons.Īsked whether the 30 NATO members had discussed the potential for the Steadfast Noon drill to cause a miscalculation amid heightened tensions with Russia, Stoltenberg dismissed such concern. US President Joe Biden warned last week that Russia and the West face a greater threat of nuclear “Armageddon” than at any time since the Cuban Missile Crisis 40 years ago. The jets typically don’t carry live warheads. It typically brings together dozens of aircraft from member nations and practices a nuclear strike mission. The exercise, known as Steadfast Noon, will be held next week. “This is routine training, which happens every year, to keep our deterrent safe, secure and effective,” NATO secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Tuesday. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization confirmed that it’s sticking to plans for its annual nuclear drill, even as the escalating Russia-Ukraine conflict spurs fears of a direct and catastrophic confrontation between Moscow and the Western military bloc.
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