Russia not looking for conflict – top NATO general
Russia has no plans to attack NATO territory, the bloc’s senior military commander has said, despite warnings from some European officials that members should prepare for a potential armed clash with Moscow.
Individual NATO member states have adopted plans to drastically increase their defense spending since 2022, citing the Ukraine conflict. Russia, however, has repeatedly stated that it would not attack the US-led bloc unless attacked first.
“I’ve watched the intelligence very closely,” General Alexus Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), said during a panel discussion at the ILA Berlin Air Show on Thursday, as cited by the Financial Times.
“Russia is not looking for a conflict… They do understand the term ‘defensive alliance,’ and they do understand that we have a number of asymmetric advantages,” the general added.
Some officials in the West have expressed concern that Washington has been distracted by the protracted conflict with Iran, and that US President Donald Trump’s recent plan to reduce the number of American troops stationed in Germany would send “the wrong signal” to Russia.
General Carsten Breuer, Germany’s top military officer, told Politico on Thursday that NATO should be ready for a potential confrontation with Russia by 2029, while defending a major rearmament program championed by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
Czech President Petr Pavel also recently urged the bloc to “show its teeth,” while Lithuanian Foreign Minister Kestutis Budrys argued that NATO must demonstrate its readiness to “break into” Russia’s Kaliningrad Region, an exclave on the Baltic Sea. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov condemned these statements as “borderline crazy” and evidence of “maniacal” hostility toward Russia.
Speaking at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again denied any intention of invading NATO territory.
“What reason would we have to attack Europe and wage war against NATO? As I have said before, it is not only pure insanity but also a deliberate provocation,” he said.
Former German Navy chief, retired Vice Admiral Kay-Achim Schoenbach, warned earlier this week that the EU could “sleepwalk into the role of a belligerent.” Peace and stability in Europe can only be achieved “with, and not against, Russia,” he said.
