BRUSSELS: NATO believes it would be premature to make any changes in the alliance's nuclear configuration due to Russia’s actions, bu...
BRUSSELS: NATO believes it would be premature to make any changes in the alliance's nuclear configuration due to Russia’s actions, but will continue to monitor the situation, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday.
"So far, we haven't seen any changes in the [Russian] nuclear posture that requires any changes in our [NATO] posture," Stoltenberg said ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. "And we will continue to closely monitor what is needed and <…> how Russia is changing their nuclear posture."
He slammed Russian statements about the deployment of nuclear weapons in Belarus as "reckless and dangerous." "Russia must know that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought," the NATO chief pointed out.
Currently, between 150 and 200 US nuclear bombs are deployed in five non-nuclear NATO countries: Belgium, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Turkey.
To date, experts, including from the Federation of American Scientists, believe the bombs are B-61 bombs with a capacity of 18 megatons each. They are deployed at six air bases: in Germany (Buchel, more than 20), Italy (Aviano and Gedi, 70-110), Belgium (Kleine Brogel, 10-20), the Netherlands (Volkel, 10-20) and Turkey (Incirlik, 50-90).
Since the end of the Cold War, the US has ignored all calls to remove its tactical nuclear weapons from Europe.
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