By Andrew Grey
BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO members shouldn’t be deterred from giving extra army assist to Ukraine by Vladimir Putin’s “reckless Russian nuclear rhetoric”, outgoing NATO boss Jens Stoltenberg instructed Reuters in an interview on Monday.
Stoltenberg was reacting to a declaration from Putin final week that Russia might use nuclear weapons if it was struck with standard missiles, and that Moscow would think about any assault on it supported by a nuclear energy to be a joint assault.
Putin’s warning got here as the USA and its allies deliberate over whether or not to let Ukraine fireplace standard Western missiles deep into Russia. Kyiv says it needs permission to hit targets which are a part of Russia’s struggle effort.
“What we have seen is a pattern of reckless Russian nuclear rhetoric and messaging, and this fits into that pattern,” Stoltenberg, who palms over the NATO management to Dutch ex-prime minister Mark Rutte on Tuesday after a decade in cost.
“Every time we have stepped up our support with new types of weapons – battle tanks, long-range fires or F-16s – the Russians have tried to prevent us,” Stoltenberg instructed Reuters at NATO headquarters on the outskirts of Brussels.
“They have not succeeded and also this latest example should not prevent NATO allies from supporting Ukraine.”
He stated NATO had not detected any change in Russia’s nuclear posture “that requires any changes from our side”.
‘NO RISK-FREE OPTIONS’
Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, stated the most important danger to NATO can be if Putin wins in Ukraine.
“Then the message will be that when he used military force, but also when he threatened NATO allies, then he gets what he wants and that will make us all more vulnerable,” he stated.
“In a war, there are no risk-free options.”
The U.S. administration has to this point been reluctant to present Ukraine permission to strike deep inside Russia with weapons akin to long-range ATACMS missiles because of fears of upper tensions with Moscow and potential retaliation.
Some Western officers have additionally questioned how efficient such strikes can be in altering the stability of the struggle.
Stoltenberg stated there was “no silver bullet” that may change every little thing on the battlefield. However deep strikes inside Russia might make a distinction as a part of the broader Western effort to assist Ukraine repel Russia’s invasion, he stated.
Stoltenberg additionally stated any negotiated finish to the struggle must embody safety ensures for Ukraine from Western powers, above all the USA.
In any other case, he stated, Russia wouldn’t respect any traces drawn on a map that it was not meant to transcend.
“When some kind of line is agreed – be it the internationally recognised border or another ceasefire line, we have to be absolutely sure that the war ends there,” he stated.
“So far we have seen Russia attacking, waiting and then attacking again,” he stated, citing earlier offers meant to finish the battle between Russia and Ukraine that started in 2014.
“I don’t think we can change President Putin’s mind (about Ukraine) but I think we can change his calculus by demonstrating that the cost of continuing the war is so high that it’s better for him to sit down and accept Ukraine as a sovereign independent nation.”
