Belgium, (Brussels Morning Newspaper) NATO and the EU warned Russia against using nuclear weapons in Ukraine, stressing that consequences would be severe.
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General, announced on Thursday the alliance will keep a close eye on Russia’s coming nuclear exercise, according to Reuters reporting.
Russia holds annual nuclear capability exercises dubbed Grom which usually take place in October.
“Russia’s nuclear rhetoric is dangerous, reckless and they know that if they use a nuclear weapon against Ukraine it will have severe consequences,” he stressed.
Speaking after the two-day meeting of NATO defence ministers in Brussels, Stoltenberg noted that the alliance will not be intimidated and will remain vigilant “not least in light of the veiled nuclear threats and the dangerous rhetoric we have seen from the Russian side.”
NATO announced plans to proceed with its annual nuclear drill Steadfast Noon later this month. Stoltenberg stressed that cancelling the military exercise due to heightened tensions over the conflict in Ukraine would send a “very wrong signal.”
Potential NATO response
Speaking on Wednesday, a senior NATO official warned that Russia’s use of nuclear weapons in Ukraine would “almost certainly be drawing a physical response from many allies and potentially from NATO itself.”
Stoltenberg warned that use of nuclear weapons would change the nature of the war in Ukraine and added that Moscow can expect “severe consequences” if it resorts to use of any kind of nuclear weapon.
Also on Thursday, Josep Borrell, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, warned Moscow that “any nuclear attack against Ukraine will create an answer.”
He added that the answer would not be nuclear, “but such a powerful answer from the military side that the Russian army will be annihilated, and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin should not be bluffing.”
Lloyd Austin, US Secretary of Defence, described Russia’s actions as irresponsible and reckless, but did not say how NATO would respond to Moscow’s use of nuclear weapons.
“As I look at indications and warnings, I don’t see any need to make any changes to what we’re doing right now,” he concluded.Jake Sullivan, US National Security Advisor, warned in September that Russia would face “catastrophic consequences” if it deployed nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
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