Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg warns Vladimir Putin nuclear war ‘can never be won’
Jens Stoltenberg’s comments follow delivery of Russian weapons to Belarus.
The head of Nato has accused Russia of “reckless and dangerous” nuclear rhetoric after President Vladimir Putin warned again this week that the conflict in Ukraine could trigger a third world war.
“Russia must know that a nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought,” Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato chief, said as defence ministers from the western military alliance gathered for a meeting in Brussels.
The alliance is expected to offer Kyiv an upgraded relationship through the creation of a Ukraine-Nato Council next month. The deal falls some way short of membership, but Ukraine would be a “full-fledged” participant at a council table rather than being invited only for special discussions, as is the case now.
It would be able to call for meetings and give direct briefings on the latest battlefield situation, as part of a deeper co-operation with Nato involving joint exercises, intelligence sharing and defence investment.
There are also plans to bring Ukraine’s armed forces into line with Nato standards. “It would signal a shift and would enhance Nato’s relationship with Ukraine. I think it would being benefits to both sides,” said Julianne Smith, the US ambassador to Nato.
Putin said on Tuesday that continued supplies of western weapons to Ukraine risked triggering a nuclear conflict with the United States, with President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus adding he had no doubt his Kremlin ally would follow through on the threat “if he is put up against a wall or forced into a corner and there is no other way out”.
Sergey Karaganov, a senior figure at Russia’s council on foreign and defence policy, added to rising tensions by declaring Washington would not retaliate if Moscow “hit a bunch of targets” in Europe because it would be unwilling to risk seeing its own cities destroyed in a nuclear war.
Stoltenberg responded: “We are, of course, closely monitoring what Russia is doing. So far we haven’t seen any changes in their nuclear posture that requires changes in our nuclear posture. But at the same time what we see is part of a pattern where Russia has invested heavily in new modern nuclear capabilities and also deployed more nuclear capabilities, including close to Nato borders.”
Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, urged Nato member states to “dig deep” and supply Ukraine with more weapons and ammunition. He said the war was a “marathon, not a sprint”.
Up to 100 Russian troops are said to have been killed after being ordered to gather for a speech by a commander, Russian military bloggers said. They said the soldiers were hit by Ukrainian missiles, including US-supplied Himars, after waiting in one place for two hours for the commander to arrive. The incident is said to have taken place near Kreminna, a town in Luhansk region.
Ukraine said it had shot down one cruise missile and 20 explosive drones overnight. In Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, officials said that Russian forces had downed nine drones.
The Times
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