NATO could deploy more nuclear weapons amid a growing threat posed by Russia and China, according to the alliance’s head.
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s 13th secretary general, revealed that there were live discussions among members about how to remove the missiles from storage and put them on standby to act as a deterrent.
speaking to The Telegraph, Mr Stoltenberg said: “I will not go into operational details about how many nuclear warheads should be operational and which should be stored, but we need to consult on these issues.” “That’s exactly what we’re doing.”
It comes as the head of kyiv’s national security council said Putin could demand the use of a tactical nuclear weapon if the Russian military is defeated in Ukraine.
Oleksandr Lytvynenko made the comments after G7 leaders warned that any use by Russia of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons would have “serious consequences”, The Times reported.
Jens Stoltenberg (pictured), NATO’s 13th Secretary General, revealed that there were live discussions among members about removing missiles from storage and putting them on hold.
A Netherlands Air Force F-16 fighter jet takes part in the NATO exercise as part of the NATO Air Policing mission.
The head of kyiv’s national security council said Putin could demand the use of a tactical nuclear weapon if the Russian military is defeated in Ukraine.
Russian soldiers load Iskander-M short-range ballistic missile launchers into a firing position as part of a Russian military exercise aimed at training troops in the use of tactical nuclear weapons.
Meanwhile, Stoltenberg warned in Brussels about the threat from China, adding that nuclear transparency should form the basis of NATO’s nuclear strategy to prepare the alliance for the world’s dangers.
“NATO’s goal is, of course, a world without nuclear weapons, but as long as there are nuclear weapons, we will remain a nuclear alliance, because a world in which Russia, China and North Korea have nuclear weapons, and NATO does not “It’s a more dangerous world,” he said.
Stoltenberg said China is investing heavily in modern weaponry, including its nuclear arsenal, which the secretary general said will increase to 1,000 possibly by 2030.
He insisted that the United States and its European allies are modernizing their nuclear deterrent as a result of the growing threat from Russia.
“The United States is modernizing its gravity bombs for the nuclear warheads they have in Europe and European allies are modernizing the aircraft that will be dedicated to NATO’s nuclear mission,” he said.
It comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday accused Russia of not wanting peace, after Putin said he would only accept a ceasefire if Ukraine agreed to halt its plans to join NATO.
Zelensky made the accusation at the end of a major diplomatic summit in Switzerland, attended by more than 90 countries, making it the largest gathering of support for Ukraine since the start of the invasion.
At the conference, the vast majority of the 90 nations in attendance signed a statement in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty and also called on Putin to return children stolen during the invasion.