Putin plays with f ire in his new doctrine
Of late Vladimir Putin has shifted Russia’s nuclear doctrine to a more directly and openly retaliatory posture in response to any attack by Ukraine or any NATO country using longer-range US missiles.
Visiting chair of the NATO Military Committee, Robert Bauer, said the alliance is prepared for a possible war with Russia, a media outlet reported.
“Are we ready? The answer is yes! This is our main task to be ready. If it happens today, we will have to fight with available means,” Bauer was cited as saying on Friday as quoted by Xinhua news agency report.
In recent years, NATO has significantly strengthened its eastern flank, launching an Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP) operation in Baltic countries, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, he said.
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At present, NATO has eight battalion-size battlegroups, which can repel a possible Russian attack on the alliance’s eastern flank, he added.
On Thursday, Bauer made his first trip to Kiev since the start of the full-scale war between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022.
During his visit, Bauer met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and participated in the 16th annual Kyiv Security Forum, according to local media reports.
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