The head of Nato is pushing to put the alliance's nuclear arsenal on standby to combat the rising threat from Russia and China.
Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg said it's now necessary for the bloc's foes to see the alliance ready to defend itself by putting its missiles on display. Members are currently engaged in live consultations about taking missiles out of storage and putting them on standby. He wants Nato to use transparency as a deterrent.
Speaking from the headquarters in Brussels, he discussed the current threats facing the West, including China and Russia, adding that he believes Labour will be an ally to the bloc.
The 65-year-old took the lead role 10 years ago. At the time, the bloc conducted its nuclear exercises in complete secrecy, but over the years he has pushed for transparency to show Nato's enemies what it is capable of.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)He hailed several of the 32-ally states for their part in the deterrent. The most recent example was The Netherlands, which he praised for buying dual-capable fighter jets which have the capacity to carry US nukes.
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Speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Stoltenberg said: “I won’t go into operational details about how many nuclear warheads should be operational and which should be stored, but we need to consult on these issues. That’s exactly what we’re doing.”
“Transparency helps to communicate the direct message that we, of course, are a nuclear alliance,” Mr Stoltenberg added. “Nato’s aim is, of course, a world without nuclear weapons, but as long as nuclear weapons exist, we will remain a nuclear alliance, because a world where Russia, China and North Korea have nuclear weapons, and Nato does not, is a more dangerous world.”
In the interview, he focused on China, which is said to be investing in more and more modern weaponry. He forecasts that by the end of 2030, Beijing will have an arsenal of 1,000 warheads.
“And that means that in a not-very-distant future,” he said, “Nato may face something that it has never faced before, and that is two nuclear-powered potential adversaries – China and Russia. Of course, this has consequences.”
It comes as the G7 group of countries approach the end of their annual summit, which is being held in Puglia, Italy this year. Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni on Saturday dismissed a cease-fire offer for Ukraine by Russian President Vladimir Putin as "propaganda," as she wrapped up a Group of Seven summit that saw a deal reached for a $50 billion loan to Ukraine.
The loan will be provided by the U.S., U.K., Canada and possibly Japan, Meloni said. The frozen Russian assets to be used as collateral are mainly in Europe, "so Europe is already contributing by identifying the guarantee mechanism," she added.
The loan agreement was reached at the opening Thursday of the two-day annual meeting of leaders from the G7 countries of Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States in southern Italy's Puglia region.
Asked about Putin's cease-fire proposal, Meloni said it "seems to me more like a propaganda move than a real one."
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