NATO official says it is necessary to strike Russia in case of its attack
Photo: Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee (twitter.com/cmc_nato)
The North Atlantic Alliance would be wise to strike Russia's launchers in the event of an attack. However, NATO countries will not be the first to attack, stated Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, during a discussion at the European Policy Center.
He noted that NATO countries need to invest more in air defense and long-range capabilities amid the threat from Russia. According to Bauer, he is very glad that NATO has raised the issue of long-range capabilities.
"The idea is that we are a defensive alliance, so we will only sit and wait until we are attacked. And when we are attacked, we will be able to shoot down the arrows (missiles - ed.) that come to us. But it's smarter not only to do that but also to attack the archer that is in Russia if Russia attacks us," Bauer said.
He emphasized that NATO countries need to destroy weapons systems that are used to strike at the Alliance.
"And, of course, because we are a defensive alliance, we will have to take the first blow," he added.
A threat to NATO
Russian kamikaze drones and missiles used to attack Ukrainian territory have already entered NATO airspace.
Also recently, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened that Russia could attack American, British, and French military facilities. This happened after the United States, Britain, and France allowed Ukraine to hit Russian territory with transferred missiles.
But, as Bauer noted, the Russian forces do not pose the same threat to NATO as they did in February 2022, as the quality of their army has deteriorated after more than 2 years of full-scale war.
