NATO countries do not want to enter a military conflict with Russia, so the current goal of the alliance is to “deter such a war”, said the commander-in-chief of NATO forces in Europe, U.S. Gen. Christopher Cavoli.
“NATO countries do not believe that we are at war with Russia. And we don’t want that”, Cavoli said at a conference at Georgetown University marking NATO’s 75th anniversary. To avoid direct conflict with Russia, he said, the alliance is supporting Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russian troops.
Cavoli’s words came amid statements by a number of Western politicians who allowed NATO to clash with Russia in the near future. In particular, U.S. President Joe Biden, the U.S., German and British defense ministers, as well as the leaders of Poland and the Baltic states spoke about it.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that the alliance is not looking for war with Russia, but the bloc needs to prepare for a possible confrontation that could last decades. In this regard, Stoltenberg called for increasing military production in Europe and concentrating forces on containing Moscow. He also did not rule out that the defeat of Ukraine would lead to the spread of hostilities to neighboring states, including the Baltic states.
Vladimir Putin called statements about a possible Russian attack on NATO countries “complete nonsense. He noted that Moscow had “no reason, no interest – no geopolitical interest, no economic, political or military interest” to go to war with the bloc’s countries. Putin also warned that such a conflict would lead to a “global war”. At the same time, he allowed the possibility of starting a military conflict with European states if they attack Russia first.
