Nato is prepared for a “direct confrontation” with Russia, a high admiral has warned.
Rob Bauer, chair of the Nato Army Committee, mentioned “we’re prepared” when requested if the US-led organisation was ready for a confrontation with Vladimir Putin’s regime amid the warfare in Ukraine.
However he careworn he didn’t assume there can be a nuclear battle between the 2 army powers as Putin was “not insane” and was nonetheless a “rational” individual.
Bauer additionally advised Portugal’s RTP TV channel that Nato would solely reply if Russia crossed a crimson line by invading a Nato member state.
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Bauer mentioned Nato had began shifting battle teams alongside the Japanese entrance and had created 4 extra battle teams following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
He mentioned this was an necessary message for Moscow to point out Nato’s posture had modified.
It comes after Ukraine secured pledges from the West in January to produce fundamental battle tanks to assist fend off Russia’s full-scale invasion.
Ukraine will obtain 120 to 140 Western tanks in a primary wave of deliveries from a coalition of 12 nations, together with the UK and US.
Nato member Germany was additionally a part of the coalition after lastly agreeing to ship Leopard tanks final week.
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Since successful the pledge for tanks, Kyiv has pressed on with additional requests for arms, together with requires jet fighters equivalent to US F-16s.
However the West has thus far refused to ship weapons that may very well be used to assault deep inside Russia and US president Joe Biden responded with a flat “no” when requested by reporters if Washington would ship F-16s.
Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson mentioned on Tuesday that London didn’t consider its personal jets can be helpful, and on condition that studying to fly them would take months, it will not be sensible to ship them to Ukraine.
On Sunday, German chancellor Olaf Scholz additionally confirmed he wouldn’t be sending fighter jets to Ukraine.
He warned in opposition to escalating with Moscow, telling the Tagesspiegel newspaper: “There isn’t a warfare between Nato and Russia.”
Scholz added he would proceed to speak on to Putin.
Entrance strains in jap Ukraine have largely been frozen since November after Kyiv recaptured swathes of territory within the second half of final yr.
However momentum has currently swung again in the direction of Russia because it has made incremental beneficial properties for the primary time since mid-2022.
Army specialists say Moscow seems decided to push ahead within the coming months earlier than Kyiv receives a whole bunch of newly-pledged Western battle tanks and armoured autos for a counter assault to recapture occupied territory this yr.
Kyiv says the Russian assaults of latest weeks have come at an enormous price, initially principally counting on Wagner mercenaries, together with 1000’s of convicts recruited from Russian prisons and despatched into battle in waves with little coaching or gear.
However Russia’s call-up of a whole bunch of 1000’s of reservists late final yr means Moscow has now been capable of reconstitute common army models exhausted or depleted earlier within the warfare.
Russia claimed on Tuesday to have captured a village simply to the north of Bakhmut, a metropolis it’s attempting to encompass in a serious push for what can be its largest battlefield win in Ukraine since final summer season.
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