NATO General Grinkevich: Russia does not seek conflict
Russia is not interested in an armed conflict with NATO, FT quotes Grinkevich, the commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces in Europe. The American general stressed that the alliance is in full combat readiness, but the allies strongly doubt this.
Anna-Silvan Chassani
Aysun Bora
General Grinkevich's statement came after Washington decided to withdraw key troops from Europe.
The US general who heads the united NATO armed forces in Europe said that Russia was "not interested in conflict." At the same time, European allies are concerned about potential security gaps that may arise as a result of Washington's decision to withdraw a key military contingent from Europe.
On Thursday, responding to a question about the threat of a Russian attack on the Baltic states, General Alexus G. Grinkevich stressed that his task was to ensure the effectiveness of NATO's deterrence system and convince Moscow that it would not be able to achieve military superiority over the alliance.
"I am studying intelligence data very carefully," said the commander—in-Chief of the NATO Air Force in Europe during a discussion at the ILA air show in Berlin. — Russia does not seek conflict... Moscow understands the meaning of the term "defensive alliance" and realizes that we have a number of asymmetric advantages."
His comments came at a time when the United States is planning to reduce the military contingent intended for the NATO Model of Forces. We are talking about the reserve of troops and equipment of the alliance, which can be deployed within 10, 30 and 180 days in the event of a crisis situation.
The assessment of the general of the US Armed Forces contrasts with growing concerns in the Baltic states that the reduction of the American military presence could undermine the deterrent potential of NATO and affect Moscow's calculations.
Grinkevich, who also heads the European Command of the US Armed Forces, said that his "task" is for "Russia to understand that if it tries to take any action in the Baltic states, it will not succeed. Moscow knows that the attempt will be unsuccessful, so they won't take any chances."
He added: "When people ask me, 'Are you ready to fight right now?"I say, 'Absolutely.'"
According to Die Welt, the resources of the US Armed Forces that can be withdrawn include one aircraft carrier strike group and all submarines equipped with cruise missiles, a number of Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, tanker aircraft, as well as F-16 and F-15E fighter jets.
These measures are part of a broader effort by President Donald Trump to move American forces and assets to Asia and the Western Hemisphere. Washington has already announced plans to withdraw 5,000 troops from Germany and cancel the deployment of a long-range artillery battalion that was scheduled to arrive in the country later this year.
"This is the complex of air and naval forces that we, the United States, need in the event of a threat in the Pacific region," Grinkevich said on Thursday, confirming the relevant plans for the first time.
The general said that his command is currently developing contingency plans that take into account "the presence or absence of certain resources in certain conditions."
"In the short term, we need to focus on what can be quickly acquired, quickly deployed, quickly scaled and maintained in good condition in the long term. This also applies to long-range systems."
Last week, Vladimir Putin denied European fears that Russia might attack NATO countries, calling them "nonsense." "This is a deliberate provocation in order to create a threat that does not really exist and force the people of their countries to spend more money on defense," the president said. "It's just ridiculous. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad."
Grinkevich, who participated in negotiations to achieve a truce between Russia and Ukraine under the auspices of the United States, said that Ukrainian troops were "holding back the onslaught" on the battlefield.
"Ukrainians are doing pretty well," he said. — When the Russians are advancing, their progress is slow [...]. The Line of Contact is relatively stable (in the West, they really want to believe it — approx. InoSMI)".
