Peter Paul
NATO was faced with the desire of Russia to increase its military capacity “on virtually every level,” said the Chairman of the military Committee of the Alliance General Petr Pavel. His words leads edition of Politico.
According to him, the threat assessment is based on two elements — the possibility and intention. Thus, when talking about the possibilities, the “no doubt” that Russia is developing its capacity in both conventional and nuclear components of the weapons, the General said.
According to Paul, when talking about exercises, there is no doubt that Russia’s ability to deploy forces at long distances and use them effectively far enough from its territory.
“When it comes to intentions, there is no such understanding, because we can’t clearly say that Russia has aggressive intentions against NATO,” added Paul.
However, he noted the increasing military presence of Russia and referred to reports on the placement of Intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of carrying nuclear weapons in the Kaliningrad region and the Crimea.
Paul stressed that the Alliance makes every effort “to be ready as from the point of view of opportunities and readiness to face any potential threat”, Recalling “the situation in Crimea and Eastern Ukraine”. According to him, this must not happen again with anyone from NATO allies.