NATO To Go Ahead With Nuclear Exercises Next Week

By Ben Kerrigan-

NATO will go ahead with nuclear exercises next week, despite escalating tensions between the West and Russia following Vladimir Putin’s thinly veiled threat of weapons, the Secretary-General to the military alliance said on Tuesday.

Jens Stoltenberg, said on Tuesday that the annual exercises are routine and were planned long before the Kremlin invaded Ukraine.

There are concerns that on to announce the exercise could potentially inflame an already tense situation with the war in Ukraine, especially if the announcement is intended to alert Russia of NATO’s readiness for nuclear war.

The main part of them will be held more than 1,000 kilometres away from Russia, and involve fighter jets with the capability to carry nuclear warheads, albeit, with no live bombs to be used.

“It would send a very wrong signal if we suddenly now cancelled a routine, long-time planned exercise because of the war in Ukraine. That would be absolutely the wrong signal to send,” the Secretary-General told reporters in Brussels.

“NATO’s firm, predictable behaviour, our military strength, is the best way to prevent escalation,” he added. “If we now created the grounds for any misunderstandings, miscalculations in Moscow about our willingness to protect and defend all allies, we would increase the risk of escalation.
NATO as an organisation does not possess any weapons. The nuclear weapons nominally linked to NATO remain under the firm control of three member countries – the U.S., U.K. and France. The alliance’s secretive Nuclear Planning Group will meet on Thursday among defense ministers.

Stoltenberg described Putin’s spirlsing nuclear rhetoric as “dangerous and reckless,” and underlined that the allies “have also conveyed clearly to Russia that it will have severe consequences if they use.

Ahead of a NATO defence minister’s meeting this week, the United States’ Permanent Representative to the military alliance, Julianne Smith, told Euronews her country will not accept any nuclear threats by Russia and that there will be a serious response if they are used.

“We’ve messaged the Russians quite directly that any use of nuclear weapons would be faced with unprecedented consequences,” Smith said on Tuesday. “This is something we are monitoring closely and I think you’ve also heard colleagues back in Washington say that right now we do not see an indication that Russia is preparing to use nuclear weapons.”

Stoltenberg also said its members will prioritise Ukraine’s urgent needs, including more advanced air defence systems and other capabilities in light of the serious escalation in Russia’s invasion.