U.S. says to defend “each inch” of NATO as nuclear planning group meets By Reuters

By Phil Stewart, Sabine Siebold and Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The US reaffirmed its dedication to defend “each inch” of NATO territory forward of talks amongst protection ministers from the alliance on Thursday that can embody closed-door discussions by its nuclear planning group.

U.S. Protection Secretary Lloyd Austin made the remarks affirming America’s dedication to NATO’s collective protection following repeated nuclear threats by Russian President Vladimir Putin amid battlefield setbacks in his practically eight-month-long invasion of Ukraine.

“We’re dedicated to defending each inch of NATO’s territory – if and with regards to that,” Austin mentioned.

Austin spoke shortly earlier than attending a gathering by NATO’s Nuclear Planning Group, which is NATO’s senior physique on nuclear issues and handles coverage points related to its nuclear forces.

NATO’s web site says its nuclear coverage is underneath “fixed assessment, and is modified and tailored in mild of recent developments.”

President Vladimir Putin escalated his rhetoric and army exercise in Ukraine after his army was overwhelmed again on a number of fronts over the previous month.

He has declared a mobilisation of troops, rained down missiles throughout Ukraine and proclaimed the annexation of Ukrainian territories – and threatened to defend them with nuclear weapons.

A senior NATO official mentioned on Wednesday a Russian nuclear strike on Ukraine would “nearly definitely be drawing a bodily response from many allies, and probably from NATO itself,” with out elaborating.

U.S. Nationwide Safety Adviser Jake Sullivan mentioned final month the USA has made clear to Moscow the “catastrophic penalties” it might face if it used a nuclear weapon in Ukraine.

Sullivan didn’t publicly describe the character of the deliberate U.S. response, nonetheless.

Diplomats say Moscow is attempting to scare the West into decreasing its help for Kyiv by hinting at using a tactical nuclear weapon to defend the annexed territories of Ukraine.

NATO NUCLEAR EXERCISES

In the meantime, NATO mentioned it might go forward with its annual nuclear preparedness train dubbed “Steadfast Midday” subsequent week, by which NATO air forces practise using U.S. nuclear bombs based mostly in Europe with coaching flights, with out reside weapons.

Cancelling the drills due to the warfare in Ukraine would ship a “very improper sign,” NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg mentioned on Tuesday.

Almost 50 international locations gathered at NATO headquarters on Wednesday and dedicated to arming Ukraine by the winter and past, together with with new air defenses.

Austin mentioned on Thursday that help was opened-ended.

“We’ll stick with our efforts to help Ukraine for so long as it takes,” Austin mentioned alongside NATO Secretary-Basic Jens Stoltenberg.

Stoltenberg praised the U.N. Basic Meeting’s condemnation on Wednesday of Russia’s “tried unlawful annexation” of 4 partially occupied areas in Ukraine.

“This simply exhibits that we have to arise for the rules-based worldwide order, for our core values,” Stoltenberg mentioned.

Thursday’s agenda at NATO headquarters in Brussels consists of discussions on learn how to give a transparent sign to business to ramp up arms manufacturing each for inner wants, in addition to to help Ukraine’s protection.

Allies can even focus on methods to enhance safety of their crucial infrastructure, after obvious assaults on the Nord Stream pipelines contributed to heightening tensions. It stays unclear who was behind the explosions underneath the Baltic Sea.

NATO advised Moscow on Tuesday it might meet assaults on allies’ crucial infrastructure with a “united and decided response.”

Stoltenberg has pledged to spice up the safety of crucial infrastructure in response to the Nord Stream assaults, saying the alliance had already doubled its presence within the Baltic and the North Seas to over 30 ships supported by plane and undersea actions.