NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte declared that in the future he wants to emphasize the Western defense alliance’s own capabilities more, primarily as a deterrent against Russia. TASR informs about it according to the report of the DPA agency.
- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte wants to strengthen deterrence.
- He emphasized the importance of nuclear deterrence to maintain security.
- Putin claims that a nuclear war can never be won.
- NATO and Russia recently conducted nuclear exercises.
- Three NATO member states have nuclear weapons.
“It is important that we talk more with the public about nuclear deterrence so that they understand how it contributes to our overall security,” the NATO chief said in Sunday’s edition of the German newspaper Die Welt in a comment seen by DPA before publication.
A nuclear deterrent
“When Russia uses dangerous and reckless nuclear rhetoric, our people need to know that there is no reason to panic because NATO has a strong nuclear deterrent to keep the peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression,”
“Putin must know that a nuclear war can never be won and must never be unleashed,” Rutte emphasized.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly emphasized the potential of Russian nuclear weapons since the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, also with the aim of discouraging the West from providing stronger support to Kyiv, DPA reminds.
NATO nuclear exercise
More than two weeks ago, Russia launched large-scale maneuvers of its strategic nuclear forces in parallel with the ongoing NATO nuclear exercise in Europe.
Regarding the recent NATO exercise, Rutte said it was a success and gave him “absolute confidence in the credibility of NATO’s nuclear deterrent. It sent a clear signal to all enemies that NATO can and will protect all allies against all threats.”
Nuclear weapons status
Of the 32 NATO member states, the United States, France and Great Britain have nuclear weapons.
According to the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), Russia currently has the largest number of confirmed nuclear weapons – over 5,500 nuclear warheads – while the US is reported to have over 5,044 nuclear weapons.
