NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte issued a direct four-word warning to Russian President Vladimir Putin — "stop the nuclear threats" — after Moscow again raised the prospect of nuclear force against the alliance.
Speaking at Euronews' Defence and Space Summit in Brussels, Mr Rutte urged Russia to de-escalate as tensions continue to rise. He said: "We are a defensive alliance. Stop the nuclear threats. This is absolutely not called for and not helpful.
"And particularly stop the war in Ukraine, which is an unprovoked war of aggression against Ukraine. So we have been clear in our reaction, which was short and concise."
Russia's warning over Kaliningrad
The warning came after Moscow threatened to use its "entire arsenal", including nuclear weapons, if NATO threatened Kaliningrad — the Russian exclave situated between alliance members Lithuania and Poland. The Kremlin memo echoed statements by several Russian embassies which said Moscow has "information that NATO is preparing [an] air and naval blockade of Kaliningrad and Kaliningrad region".
According to Reuters, the Russian document accused NATO of being on a "dangerous and reckless course" that entailed "high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict".
"Russia will be ready to use the entire arsenal of forces and capabilities at its disposal, including nuclear weapons, in order to defend its territory should NATO countries undertake any attempt aimed at isolating the Kaliningrad Region from the rest of the country," the message reportedly said.
NATO's response
NATO slammed the message, condemning Russia's "irresponsible nuclear rhetoric". NATO spokesperson Allison Hart on Wednesday confirmed Russia had sent a written, "non-paper" message to the alliance. She said NATO is not targeting Kaliningrad and had sent a reply, "noting that NATO is a defensive alliance and none of our activities or exercises pose a risk to any part of Russia". She said the alliance "strongly denounces the threat of force".
Mr Rutte said NATO does not face an "imminent threat" from Russia, despite previously warning of a possible attack by 2030. "If there is a [Russian] buildup, we will see it, and we will deal with it if anything happens," the NATO chief told the conference. "We have prepared and trained for this."
Sabotage and hybrid attacks
It comes as European nations brace for a rise in Russian sabotage and hybrid attacks, aimed at weakening support for Ukraine. Russia has been accused of being behind a number of incidents across Europe. On Tuesday, Estonia blamed Russia for an arson attack on a defence firm supplying uncrewed vehicles to Ukraine. The Russian message came after Russian embassies, including in London, accused European leaders of "playing a dangerous game".
