NATO takes Russia's nuclear threats seriously, but instead of responding, it is focusing its efforts on ensuring the reliability of its own deterrence capabilities.
This was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte at a press conference in Brussels following a two-day meeting of the Alliance's foreign ministers.
"We take nuclear issues very seriously, but we also agree that this rhetoric is coming from Russia, which would like us to discuss its nuclear capabilities. However, we do not want to respond to that. Instead, we must ensure that our deterrence capabilities are strong and that we can respond to any aggressor and any adversary," Rutte said.
According to Rutte, NATO ministers also discussed the supply of ammunition and air defense systems to Ukraine as Russia intensifies its attacks.
"I expect that the new NATO command in Wiesbaden for training and assistance to Ukraine will be fully operational by the end of this year," he said.
The Secretary General emphasized that Alliance members are working on fulfilling the financial commitment of 40 billion euros for security assistance to Ukraine in 2024.
NATO ministers also discussed measures to counter Russian sabotage and cyberattacks. These include enhanced intelligence sharing, more training exercises, protection of critical infrastructure, cyber defense, and tougher actions against Russia's shadow fleet of ships exporting oil.
