NATO eyes preemptive strikes amid rising tensions with Russia
During a conference in Brussels, NATO Military Committee Chairman Admiral Rob Bauer said that NATO leadership is considering conducting precise, preemptive strikes on Russian territory in the event of an armed conflict between Moscow and the Alliance.
- It is smarter not to sit and wait until we are attacked, but to target Russian launchers if they attack. We must deliver the first strike - said Bauer.
He added that the North Atlantic Alliance must replenish its weapons stockpiles and modernize air defence systems and precision strike systems.
Earlier, Bauer stated that the management of major Western companies should be prepared for wartime conditions and adjust their production and distribution lines accordingly to become less vulnerable to blackmail from Russia and China.
At the moment, the Russians do not pose the same threat as they did in February 2022, so we have some time to prepare, said Rob Bauer in Brussels, pointing to the state of military equipment and the level of soldier training. He added that for the West, this means the necessity of increasing investments in the arms industry.
In his opinion, deterring the opponent involves not only military capabilities, but also the use of all available tools in wartime conditions.
- If we can make sure that all crucial services and goods can be delivered not matter what… than that is a key part of our deterrence - emphasized the admiral.
"We are in direct conflict with Russia"
In mid-October, the head of the German Federal Intelligence Service, Bruno Kahl, warned that Russia might attack NATO before 2030. According to him, the Kremlin sees Germany as an enemy because Berlin is the second-largest supporter of Kyiv.
He also stressed that the likelihood of NATO invoking the mutual defence article in the coming years will remain high.
Kahl added that Vladimir Putin aims not only to increase the Kremlin's influence in Europe but also to expel the United States' military presence from the continent, as U.S. defence spending far exceeds that of European Union countries.
- We are in direct conflict with Russia - said Kahl, also noting that Putin's goal is not only to take over Ukraine but also to "strive for a new world order."
Putin: Russia does not intend to fight with NATO
Vladimir Putin previously stated that Russia does not intend to fight with the North Atlantic Alliance because U.S. defence expenditures vastly exceed Russian spending.
He also appealed not to believe reports about Moscow's plans to attack Europe.
- What they say about us going to attack Europe after Ukraine is complete nonsense, intimidating their own population, solely with the purpose to beat money out of them, out of their people - stated Putin.
