Russian President Vladimir Putin is becoming “increasingly reckless, dangerous and risk-taking” as his war in Ukraine rages and he tries to divide Western allies, NATO's deputy commander in Europe said yesterday, quoted by the Associated Press, writes BTA.
Marshal John Stringer told the AP at a security conference in Estonia amid warnings from some European leaders that Moscow plans to test NATO's collective defense pact with bold attacks that now include sabotage and espionage.
Stringer warned that alliance members should be aware of the "tense situation" and be careful with their reactions because Putin would like to provoke the alliance into "overreacting."
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said last week that Russia could deliberately attack a NATO country with drones or missiles and claim it was an accident. French President Emmanuel Macron agreed and asked his government to draw up a plan to protect critical infrastructure against potential drone attacks and cyber threats. Other European officials said the threat from Russia was serious but urged calm. A British military official said London believed Putin was not seeking a direct confrontation with the alliance. Representatives from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which border Russia, were also more cautious about the prospect of a major escalation after years of urging Western countries to take a tougher approach to Moscow. U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker dismissed concerns that Russia could test the transatlantic military alliance, telling the AP that “Putin does not want conflict with NATO.” He said drone incursions into countries like Romania and Poland are largely the result of electronic warfare and are unintentional, but noted that “more worrying” are hybrid actions such as sabotage.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte told the AP that Putin “knows that the United States and Europe are completely connected.”
“We have to make sure that we are protected, that we are strong, and he knows that. And if he does something stupid, he needs to know that our response will be firm,” Rutte added.