NATO CHIEF SAYS THE ALLIANCE IS ADAPTING ITS NUCLEAR ARSENAL TO SECURITY THREATS
In a rare reference to the Western nuclear arsenal, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday highlighted the alliance’s efforts to adapt its capabilities to current security threats, taking note of Russia latest nuclear rhetoric and drills.
Talking to reporters before a two-day NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels that will include a gathering of the alliance’s nuclear planning group, he called nuclear weapons NATO’s ultimate security guarantee and a means to preserve peace.
While it is well known that the U.S. has deployed nuclear bombs to several locations in Europe, NATO rarely talks about these weapons publicly.
Discussing what he called “the ongoing adaptation” of NATO’s nuclear arsenal, Stoltenberg said the Netherlands in June declared the first F-35 fighter jets ready to carry nuclear arms and said the U.S. was modernizing its nuclear weapons in Europe.
On Tuesday, Russia said its troops had started the second stage of drills to practice the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons alongside Belarusian troops after what Moscow said were threats from Western powers.
Since sending thousands of troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly said Moscow could use nuclear weapons to defend itself in extreme situations.
Russia accuses the U.S. and its European allies of pushing the world to the brink of nuclear confrontation by giving Ukraine billions of dollars’ worth of weapons, some of which are being used against Russian territory.
