NATO expands presence: Stoltenberg: Russian attacks “signs of weakness”

NATO expands presence
Stoltenberg: Russian attacks “signs of weakness”

NATO assumes that the war will drag on for a long time. The Allies therefore want to increase the production of weapons to replenish stocks. In addition, the presence of the fleet on the Baltic Sea and North Sea is to be doubled.

Speaking ahead of the NATO defense ministers’ meeting in Brussels, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia’s recent rocket attacks on numerous Ukrainian cities reflected “the lack of alternatives” for Russian President Vladimir Putin. “What we saw yesterday is actually a sign of weakness” because the Russian army “is unable to make any advances on the battlefield,” Stoltenberg said.

Russia bombed numerous cities in Ukraine on Monday morning in retaliation for the bomb blast on the Crimean bridge on Saturday. On Tuesday, Russia continued its attacks on targets in Ukraine, primarily targeting power plants far west from the front lines.

The NATO countries also want to increase the production capacities for ammunition and equipment because of the ongoing war in Ukraine. “The longer this war drags on, the more important it is that we are then able to replenish supplies,” said Secretary General Stoltenberg in Brussels. Appropriate decisions are to be taken at the meeting of the defense ministers of the 30 NATO countries later this week. These would secure long-term demand for industry, which in turn would have to invest in new production capacities.

NATO doubles its presence in the Baltic and North Seas

This should speed up the delivery of material to Ukraine. The country needs a “wide range of different systems” in the war against Russia. Stoltenberg mentioned, for example, artillery, armored vehicles, air defense systems, as well as fuel, winter clothing, communication systems and spare parts. “So you need almost everything.”

NATO has also doubled its presence in the Baltic and North Seas after the “sabotage” of the Nord Stream pipelines. “We have doubled our presence in the Baltic Sea and North Sea to more than 30 ships,” said Stoltenberg in Brussels. The ships would be supported from the air and from “underwater capacities”.

Four leaks were discovered off the Danish island of Bornholm on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 pipelines that run from Russia to Germany. For technical reasons, the lines that were not in operation were filled with gas, which at times flowed into the Baltic Sea in large quantities. According to an official Danish-Swedish report, the leaks were caused by explosions with enormous explosive power.

source site-34