Amid the increasing threat from Russia, the NATO countries are preparing to defend themselves against any kind of aggression. Meanwhile, Germany, one of the NATO alliance countries, is running short of troops and the country will need at least 75,000 thousand additional troops to fulfil its NATO commitments, a Reuters report quoted the Spiegel magazine.
The Bundeswehr, German armed forces, has approximately 180,000 soldiers, which is below the target of around 200,000 troops, along with 80,000 civilian employees.
Diplomats suggest that as the involvement of the USA and NATO countries is increasing to support Ukraine in its ongoing war with Russia, the potential attack from Russia against NATO countries is highly inevitable. At the Vilnius summit last year, NATO leaders approved the first major defence plans since the end of the Cold War, outlining the alliance’s response to a potential Russian attack.
Meanwhile, Russia has been increasing its nuclear drills to defend its territory against NATO. For example, four Russian vessels, including a nuclear-powered submarine, are set to arrive in Havana next week, according to Cuban officials, reported Al-Jazeera.
On Thursday, Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the vessels, none of which carry nuclear weapons, will dock in the Cuban capital between June 12 and 17. The ministry assured that their presence “does not represent a threat to the region.”
President Vladimir Putin, when asked about the risks of nuclear war over Ukraine, warned the West on Wednesday that Russia could employ all available means to defend itself if its sovereignty or territorial integrity were threatened. “For some reason, the West believes that Russia will never use it,” Putin said. “We have a nuclear doctrine, look what it says. If someone’s actions threaten our sovereignty and territorial integrity, we consider it possible for us to use all means at our disposal. This should not be taken lightly, superficially,” Putin said.
(With inputs from Agencies)