(Brussels) NATO began a “routine” military exercise on Monday to test its nuclear deterrent in Europe, in a context of tensions with Vladimir Putin’s Russia, which threatened to use atomic weapons in Ukraine.
Posted at 6:32
Referring to this exercise scheduled until October 30 and which had been planned before the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops, the Atlantic Alliance underlines that it represents “a regular and recurring training activity and is not related to current world events.
The annual maneuver, dubbed ‘Steadfast Noon’, mobilizes up to 60 aircraft, including American B-52 long-range bombers, in a wide airfield over Belgium, the United Kingdom and the North Sea.
Fourteen of the 30 member countries of the Alliance participate, but not France, whose nuclear deterrence policy is independent of NATO.
Atlantic Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg insisted on going ahead with the exercise despite tensions with Russia.
“It would be a very bad signal if we suddenly canceled a long-planned routine exercise due to the war in Ukraine,” he said last week.
“We must understand that the firm and predictable behavior of NATO, our military force, is the best way to prevent an escalation,” he added.
NATO claims to have seen no change in Russia’s nuclear posture despite the hardening of the Kremlin’s rhetoric. “But we remain vigilant,” said Mr. Stoltenberg.