NATO members should not be intimidated by Russia’s nuclear threats, which are meant to weaken Western support for Ukraine, says NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. He also pointed out that an upcoming NATO nuclear exercise will show that the alliance is ready to handle such threats.
In an interview with Sky News, Rutte, who recently became NATO's Secretary General, was asked if NATO should pay attention to Russia’s nuclear threats.
“It’s Not Worth It”
His response was direct: “No, it’s not worth it, and they don’t pay attention anyway.”
Rutte made these remarks after meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London, where they were joined by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. Zelensky’s visit, part of a tour across Europe, focused on pushing for more military aid and long-range strikes deep into Russian territory.
Russia has warned that such strikes, if supported by NATO countries, would be seen as NATO directly joining the conflict, which Russian President Vladimir Putin said would “fundamentally change the nature of the war.”
Putin has even suggested changing Russia’s nuclear policy to consider attacks from non-nuclear countries supported by nuclear powers as a joint attack on Russia. He also proposed expanding the use of nuclear weapons if Russia faces a large-scale threat from strategic weapons like missiles or drones.
“NATO is strong. We can confront any enemy. We have everything we need to protect NATO, and we will never be scared by countries outside NATO that try to threaten us. It’s pointless, and Putin should stop doing it,” Rutte assured.
NATO's Nuclear Drill
With these threats in mind, NATO will begin its annual nuclear exercise, Steadfast Noon, next week. The exercise, hosted by Belgium and the Netherlands, will involve 2,000 troops, 60 nuclear-capable aircraft, and will take place across eight military bases in 13 countries.
“It’s very important that we test and strengthen our defenses. We’ve also made it clear to our enemies that we are ready to deal with any threat,” Rutte stated.
In addition to Putin’s warnings, other Russian officials, including Dmitry Medvedev and government media, have regularly issued nuclear threats against the West.
After the European Parliament passed a resolution in September supporting Ukraine’s use of long-range missiles against Russian targets, Russian Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin reminded Europe that Russia’s Sarmat intercontinental missile could reach Strasbourg in just 3 minutes and 20 seconds.
