NATO Must Use Nuclear Deterrent against Russian Attacks if Necessary: German Air Chief

The North Atlantic alliance (NATO) should prepare itself to deter Russian nuclear strikes, the Commander of the German Air Force, General Ingo Gerhardtz said at The Kiel International Seapower Symposium.

“For reliable deterrence, we need both the means and the political will to use the nuclear deterrent, if necessary,” General Ingo Gerhardtz.

Gerhardtz meant that NATO countries should be prepared to use nuclear weapons if necessary, if Russia were to strike first, Kyiv Post reported citing Germany’s Bild newspaper.

Commenting on the possibility of Russia invading a NATO member state, Gerhardtz openly advised Russian President Vladimir Putin not to encroach on the territory of the North Atlantic bloc. “Europeans will have more than 600 modern fighters in the Baltic Sea region by 2030. And there are also American planes,” he warned.

Earlier, former British National Security Adviser Peter Ricketts said it was likely that Putin was considering a strike on a NATO base to cut off Western arms supplies to Ukraine.

Ukraine receives German heavy weapons

Ukraine said today it “finally” deployed advanced German artillery system, in the latest delivery of the long-range, precision weapons that it has been calling for.

Despite the heavy influx of Western weapons, Ukrainian forces are outgunned by the Russians in the battle for the eastern Donbas region, where the fighting is largely being carried out by way of artillery exchanges.