NATO to hold nuclear deterrence exercise as Russia rages at Ukraine

An annual NATO exercise focused on nuclear weapons deterrence will take place next week in a regular show of force displayed against the backdrop of the war in Ukraine.

“Now is the right time to be firm and to be clear that NATO is there to protect and defend all allies,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, a former Norwegian politician, told reporters Tuesday. “It’s a routine exercise, and it’s an exercise to ensure that our nuclear deterrent remains safe, secure, and effective.”

Fourteen NATO allies participated in the October 2021 installment of Steadfast Noon, as the annual exercise is known, and the alliance emphasized that “no live weapons are used.” These drills coincide with the Kremlin’s attempt to deter the Western allies from providing Ukraine with long-range missile systems as Russian President Vladimir Putin tries to batter Ukrainian society into submission following a series of setbacks for Russian forces.

“President Putin is failing in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said. “His attempted annexations, partial mobilization, and reckless nuclear rhetoric represent the most significant escalation since the start of the war. And they show that this war is not going as planned.”

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Putin has made repeated references to Russia’s nuclear arsenal throughout the war, in addition to holding a nuclear drill that coincided with the launch of the campaign to overthrow Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin delayed an intercontinental ballistic missile test that had been scheduled for March, in the second week of the conflict, in order “to demonstrate that we have no intention of engaging in any actions that could be misunderstood or misconstrued,” but Stoltenberg argued that a cancellation of the NATO drill could backfire by signaling a lack of resolve to defend NATO territory.

“We need to understand that NATO’s firm, predictable behavior, our military strength, is the best way to prevent escalation,” he told reporters. “We are there to preserve peace, to prevent escalation, and to prevent any attack on NATO ally countries. So, if we now created the grounds for any misunderstanding, miscalculation [in] Moscow about our willingness to protect and defend all allies, it would increase the risk of escalation, and that’s the last thing we will do.”

The intense barrages on Monday and Tuesday came in the wake of a Ukrainian attack on the Kerch Strait Bridge, a vital supply line connecting Russian forces in occupied Crimea and southern Ukraine to their depots in mainland Russia. Putin portrayed the bombardments, which damaged energy infrastructure as well as civilian centers such as a park in Kyiv, as an act of retaliation for Ukraine’s “terrorism,” although Ukrainian officials said that the Russian missile strikes were planned before the bridge bombing, and Western officials characterized the strikes as part of the Kremlin’s reliance on “terror and brutality” in the war.

“These attacks killed and injured civilians and destroyed targets with no military purpose,” President Joe Biden said in a Monday statement. “These attacks only further reinforce our commitment to stand with the people of Ukraine for as long as it takes.”

Biden’s show of support drew another threat from Russia, which has attempted to deter U.S. and European powers from arming Ukraine.

“Such assistance, as well as providing [Kyiv] with intelligence, instructors and combat guidelines, leads to further escalation and increased the risks of a clash between Russia and NATO,” Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said Tuesday, according to state media.

Yet Russia has flinched so far to launch a military attack against any of the NATO territory from which the aid enters Ukraine, and its forces have proven unable to destroy a critical mass of the weapons shipments once they enter Ukrainian territory.

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“I welcome the recent announcements by Allies to provide more advanced air defense systems and other capabilities to Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said. “And I look forward to further deliveries.”