NATO is demonstrating its forces, and it is doing so at a time when alarms are sounding from Sweden to the Baltics to the United States that the conflict in Ukraine could be escalated by Vladimir Putin’s Russia. A tension that would lead Moscow to launch attacks directly against EU and Alliance members. According to some experts, the maxi exercise announced by NATO for next week, in which approximately 90 thousand soldiers will participate, should also be read from this perspective. This is the largest exercise of its kind in the last 35 years. An Alliance official described it as “A simulated scenario of the conflict that ensues”.
The exercise is called “Steadfast Defender 2024” and will be carried out right next to the Russian border, between Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia, as well as in Germany, Norway and Russia. At least 1,100 combat vehicles, more than 50 aircraft carriers and cruisers for the navy, and more than 80 fighter-bombers, helicopters and drones for the air force will participate in the exercises. There will be 31 participating countries, including Sweden, which is not yet an official NATO member.
Supreme Allied Commander Europe, General Christopher Cavoli, explained to Steadfast Defender that “the Alliance will demonstrate its ability to defend the transatlantic region through the transfer of troops from North America as a response scenario to a military threat.” The public opinion of NATO’s constituent countries “needs to understand” that peace can no longer be guaranteed in the coming years and that war is a phenomenon that concerns the whole of society, which must support the military “with men and means”, Admiral Rob Bauer added.
The words of NATO military leaders confirm that the risk of Russia attacking western Ukraine is becoming increasingly concrete. The secret services and military leaders of the Baltic states and Sweden have repeated this several times in recent weeks. Evaluations also emerged in Berlin regarding a possible conflict with Russia in the east. Moreover, Putin directly fueled these fears.
Recently its rhetoric has become increasingly aggressive towards its European neighbours. “The events taking place in Latvia and other Baltic countries, at a time when Russian people are currently being deported, are very serious and directly affect the security of our country,” the Kremlin leader said in a statement this week, according to the Russian news agency. Press Tass. Here, Latvia’s decision to expel nearly a thousand Russian citizens from its territory is referred to, but Putin also warned Sweden, which is one step away from joining NATO.
According to US think tank ISW, Moscow is preparing for “future tensions”. Putin has long used a broad definition of Russia’s sovereignty and downplayed the sovereignty of former Soviet republics, and Russia has long claimed it has the right to protect its own sovereignty, according to a report published this week by IWS. ISW argues that this rhetorical framework does not mean that Moscow will launch an imminent attack on NATO and the EU, but is still a preparation for maneuvers that may take place in the not-too-distant future. .
Exactly when? One date already marked in red by experts is November 5, the day of the US presidential election. Many argue that a potential victory for Donald Trump could give Putin the opportunity to launch a direct attack on Europe. Rumors have emerged in recent days that in 2020, when Trump was at the head of the White House, he told European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen that he did not intend to help the EU in case of attack: “You are you. The message to the EU executive head was “We will never give you aid or support if Europe is attacked.”
Source: Today IT
Karen Clayton is a seasoned journalist and author at The Nation Update, with a focus on world news and current events. She has a background in international relations, which gives her a deep understanding of the political, economic and social factors that shape the global landscape. She writes about a wide range of topics, including conflicts, political upheavals, and economic trends, as well as humanitarian crisis and human rights issues.
