NATO is a defensive alliance and the secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte stated on Wednesday that Russia must cease its nuclear threats after Russia warned of nuclear retaliation against NATO over Kaliningrad.
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The secretary general of NATO, Mark Rutte said "I think the best way to deal with this is to have a little bit of calm here on the NATO side. We can allow a bit of calm, but also a bit of making sure we continue with what we are doing".
According to the Reuters, Earlier, Russia has warned NATO that it would be prepared to use nuclear weapons if the Western alliance tried to cut off Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave bordering the Baltic Sea.
In a memo that was given to NATO and Moscow accused the alliance of pursuing a "dangerous and reckless course" that entails "high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict".
The memo said that this includes the possibility of Russian strikes against decision-making centers in the alliance's member states right from the outset of the conflict".
"Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal including nuclear weapons in order to defend its territory should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad Region from the rest of the country," said the text which has been classified as a "non-paper" — a diplomatic term for an informal document.
In addition to the private warning, in the last three days, Russian embassies in at least three European nations have released statements accusing NATO of raising tensions by preparing scenarios including Kaliningrad and conducting military drills. Additionally, Russia denied claims made by the West that it is a threat to Europe.
According to the statements, Russia did not intend to attack NATO nations, but it did issue a warning that any strike against Kaliningrad, a strongly militarized Russian province located between Poland and Lithuania, would result in the greatest possible retaliation.
The warnings draw attention to a major increase in hostilities between Russia and European nations, who accuse Moscow of escalating a "hybrid war" on the continent through acts such as arson and sabotage.
Russia refused and rejected the repeated statements by western politicians' that it is preparing for a potential military assault on a NATO country.
