Key points
- Putin warned West of nuclear consequences
- Declares nuclear retaliation possible after missile strikes
ISLAMABAD: NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte expressed full confidence in the credibility of the alliance’s nuclear deterrence, following the success of its annual nuclear exercise earlier this month.
He emphasised that in the face of Russian threats, “When Russia is using dangerous and reckless nuclear rhetoric, our populations must know that there is no need to panic, because NATO has a strong nuclear deterrent,” reports Reuters.
Rutte further stated, “And (Russian President Vladimir) Putin must know that nuclear war can never be won and must never be fought.”
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned the West about the potential nuclear repercussions.
Conventional missiles
Last month, he declared that Russia could resort to nuclear weapons if struck by conventional missiles, adding that Moscow would regard any attack on it, backed by a nuclear power, as a joint assault.
NATO continues to play an active role in the militarization of the Arctic, creating new barriers to international cooperation in the region, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Maria Zakharova was quoted by TASS as saying on Friday.
She added that NATO has held about 10 large-scale exercises in the Arctic this year, including annual nuclear deterrence drills in October, some of which took place near Russia’s borders.
