NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte stated that he does not consider the threat of Russia using nuclear weapons against the Baltic states to be a realistic one. He was responding to a Russian warning about the possible use of its entire arsenal should the Kaliningrad region be cut off. According to Reuters, the Alliance has called on Moscow to cease its irresponsible nuclear rhetoric.
Briefly about the main points
- Russia has handed over a document to NATO threatening to use nuclear weapons.
- Rutte does not consider the risk of a nuclear strike on the Baltic states to be a real one.
- The Secretary-General stated that Russia is incapable of defeating NATO.
- The Alliance described its exercises as posing no threat to Russia.
- NATO has not reported any change in its assessment of the immediate military threat.
Moscow has linked the threat to the Kaliningrad region
Russia has sent NATO a diplomatic note stating that it may use its entire arsenal, including nuclear weapons, should NATO member states attempt to isolate the Kaliningrad region from the rest of the Russian Federation.
The document also referred to possible strikes against «decision-making centres» in NATO countries from the outset of a potential conflict. Moscow accused the Alliance of pursuing a course of action which, it claimed, increases the risk of direct military confrontation.
Kaliningrad Oblast — a Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea, situated between Poland and Lithuania. The region is home to a significant amount of Russian military infrastructure.
Rutte urged people not to give in to intimidation
At a defence conference in Brussels, the Secretary-General was asked about the risk of Russia using nuclear weapons against the Baltic states. «No, that is not the case.”. Putin »He knows he will never be able to defeat NATO," he replied Rutte.
In a separate statement, he called on allies to respond calmly to Moscow’s statements and to continue strengthening their defences. Rutte emphasised that NATO is a defensive alliance and that Russia must cease its nuclear threats.
NATO’s written response and threat assessment
In a written response, NATO stated that its military exercises and other activities do not pose a threat to Russian territory. The Alliance also called on Moscow to end the full-scale war against Ukraine and to refrain from increasingly risky actions against NATO member states.
As of 30 September, the Alliance had not reported any change in its assessment of the immediate military threat and does not see an imminent Russian attack on its territory. Rutte stated that NATO would continue to support Ukraine and strengthen the allies’ defences.
The Kremlin has described the warning as a signal to Europe
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Russia’s diplomatic signals were directed at «hotheads in Europe». Russia denies that it is preparing an attack on any NATO country, as well as any involvement in a hybrid campaign in Europe.
A NATO diplomat described the Russian document as an attempt to intimidate European countries and stressed that the Alliance has no plans to withdraw its support for Ukraine as a result. A senior European defence official described the nature of the threat as unprecedented since the Cold War.
