The North Atlantic Alliance has kicked off its yearly war games that simulate a nuclear conflict with Russia. The Kremlin denounced the drills, which Moscow views as an annual provocation.
On Monday, NATO began the war games – dubbed Steadfast Noon – involving 13 countries, 2,000 troops, and dozens of aircraft. The warplanes included some that are capable of carrying nuclear weapons, such as the F-35s.
The Kremlin responded sharply to the drills. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, “In the conditions of a hot war, which is going on within the framework of the Ukrainian conflict, such exercises lead to nothing but further escalation of tension.”
The Russian diplomat blamed the West for the heightened tensions. “Russia has never moved with its military infrastructure towards NATO, it has always been the other way round,” he stated.
Peskov went on to say that de-escalation is unlikely at any time in the near future as the Kremlin is unwilling to talk with the White House given Washington’s aggressive posture. “In the context of the war that is being waged against Russia with the indirect and even direct involvement of nuclear powers such as the United States, Great Britain and France, it is absolutely impossible to talk about this without linking the issue to all other aspects of security,” he explained.
Russia and the US are the world’s two largest nuclear powers and have, for years, been nearing a direct confrontation. In September 2022, the White House assessed there was a 50% chance of Russia using nuclear weapons but continued to escalate the proxy war in Ukraine.
