Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg acknowledged that Russia is a challenge to the bloc's security, as it has shown that it is ready to use military force against its neighbor.
Points of attention
- Maintaining strong deterrence and reliable defense is crucial to preventing a Russian attack on NATO countries.
- Dialogue with Russia is essential to end the war in Ukraine and establish a new arms control architecture.
- NATO partners must allocate sufficient resources for defense to ensure security and resilience.
Is it still possible to prevent a Russian attack on NATO countries: Stoltenberg assessed the threat
As long as NATO stays together and provides reliable deterrence and defense, the Alliance's member countries will not be attacked by Russia.
We were able to do this for over 40 years during the Cold War, we were able to do it afterwards, and we must continue to do so. We just have to make sure that we don't create self-fulfilling prophecies.
Jens Stoltenberg
NATO External Secretary
At the same time, Stoltenberg acknowledged that Russia is a challenge to the bloc's security, as it has shown that it is ready to use military force against its neighbor.
But Ukraine is not a NATO member, and it is important that we make no mistake about the willingness and ability of all NATO allies to defend themselves. This is the best way to prevent an attack.
He noted that while the war in Ukraine continues, Russia has "more than enough to do."
More than 80 percent of the Russian army is deployed there (in Ukraine - ed.). If we look across the Norwegian-Russian border, we will see that many troops have been transferred from the Kola Peninsula to Ukraine. But when the war ends, and we hope that this will happen in the near future, these troops will be redeployed closer to NATO borders.
He is confident that the Alliance will cope in the event of an attack because it has reliable defense, and besides, "all NATO partners now spend at least two percent of their GDP on defense," which was considered impossible just a few years ago.
However, along with reliable deterrence, according to the former Secretary General, NATO "needs dialogue with Russia."
First, we need to talk to Russia about ending the war in Ukraine, just as we, the United States and others, are doing. Second, at some point we need to talk about a new arms control architecture. Even during the Cold War, we were able to limit nuclear weapons, but that architecture no longer exists. And third, we need to talk to Russia as a neighbor.
