NATO commander: Russia “not looking for a conflict”

The US general who leads NATO forces in Europe has said Russia is “not looking for a conflict”, even as European allies voice concern over potential security gaps linked to planned reductions in US military assets assigned to the alliance.

Asked on June 11 about the possibility of a Russian attack on the Baltic states, General Alexus G. Grynkewich, Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), said NATO’s priority was maintaining credible deterrence, Financial Times reports. 

“I’ve watched the intelligence very closely,” the Supreme Allied Commander Europe (Saceur) said on a panel at the ILA Berlin Air Show. “Russia is not looking for a conflict . . . They do understand the term ‘defensive alliance’, and they do understand that we have a number of asymmetric advantages.”

His remarks come as the United States considers reducing the military capabilities it assigns to NATO’s Force Model, the alliance’s framework of forces and equipment designated for rapid deployment within 10, 30 and 180 days in response to crises.

The planned adjustments have raised concerns among Baltic states, which fear that a diminished US military presence could weaken NATO’s deterrence posture and potentially influence Moscow’s strategic calculations.

By Sabina Mammadli