NATO General on Russia's Oreshnik missile: Europe must have something to respond with
Photo: Pierre Vandier, NATO Commander Transformation (Getty Images)
NATO must have long-range weapons in its arsenal to respond to the threat of the new Russian Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile, Pierre Vandier, NATO Commander Transformation, says in an interview with Defense News.
"You need to reciprocate. Stability is the ability to reciprocate. If Russia has means to strike Europe at the depth of 2,000 km, you need to be able to answer. Deterrence is a way to put pressure on the enemy before it comes to you. He (the enemy - ed.) has to think of the consequences of his actions before he commits them. It's exactly the opposite that we see today – today we witness a sort of fait accompli all the time," Pierre Vandier stated.
The NATO Commander Transformation expressed the opinion that Europe will not be able to address the threat solely by creating a defensive system similar to Israel's Iron Dome, given the large territory of the continent.
Vandier also added that in the past four to five years, a significant portion of the stability mechanisms developed after the end of the Cold War have lost their effectiveness. Among the most critical examples, he mentioned the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty).
'Oreshnik' missile
On November 21, Russia used the Oreshnik missile for the first time since the beginning of its full-scale invasion during an attack on Dnipro. At the same time, the Russian leader, Vladimir Putin, admitted that this was a test of this type of weapon.
Later, information emerged about the possible deployment of such missiles on the territory of the Republic of Belarus. However, Ukraine's Center for Countering Disinformation called these reports an attempt at intimidation. The center's head, Andriy Kovalenko, also explained that statements about the alleged reduction in missile flight time are part of the Russian information operation.
