NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday that there were “no immediate military threat” against any member of the alliance, after the Kremlin has accused the West of potentially escalating the war in Ukraine.
Stoltenberg’s statements follows heightened tensions between Russia and NATO members.
The Kremlin accused the West last week of “entering a new round of escalations in tensions,” after US President Joe Biden lifted restrictions on Ukraine using weapons supplied by the United States against targets on Russian territory, but only to defend Kharkiv.
“As long as we don’t give any room for misunderstandings or faulty assessment in Moscow or other potential capitals in countries that could potentially attack us, there is no military threat against NATO countries,” Stoltenberg said while on a visit to the alliance’s newest member Sweden.
In an interview with German public broadcaster ARD, Stoltenberg dismissed claims that Russia would attack a member of the alliance if it wins the war in Ukraine.
"We do not currently perceive a military threat against a NATO ally in the near future," he said, noting that NATO has been "significantly strengthened" in recent years and all member states have invested "significantly" in their own defense.
Asked about whether Russia might seek to test the alliance’s Article 5 commitment to defend each other, Stoltenberg said “we see no immediate military threat against any NATO country.“
“Therefore it is not the case that we now believe that our Article 5 will actually be tested,” he told a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.
Kristersson also announced that Sweden’s air force would be joining NATO’s Air Policing force, with Swedish Gripen fighter jets mainly patrolling the air space of the Baltic states.
Speaking at an Atlantic Council of Finland meeting, Jens Stoltenberg said: “There is no demand, and there is no interest to expand the deployment of nuclear weapons in Europe.”
He also pointed out that NATO’s arrangements to do with US weapons being deployed in Europe as well as Europe providing the forces, the planes, and the logistics, are enough to act as a deterrent against Russia.
According to the NATO secretary-general, this approach is “tried and tested.”
Finland’s President Alexander Stubb, who was also present at the meeting, confirmed that Finland has no plans to deploy nuclear arms on its territory.
“It's important to keep in mind as the secretary-general said that we do not want any nuclear weapons. No one has offered to bring us any nuclear weapons,” Stubb confirmed.
But at the same time, NATO's deterrence is based on three pillars which include “forces, missiles, and a nuclear umbrella provided by the United States,” he added.
“My personal take is that the less we talk about nuclear, the better the deterrence,” he added.
Also on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the West to do more to achieve a fair peace as Ukraine battles the Russian invasion.
Kyiv has been pushing Europe to increase military support, with Russia gaining the upper hand on the battlefield in recent months.
AFP/AA
Siddhartha 