At a time when Ukraine is pushing its Western allies to provide it with weapons, ammunition and financial support in the wake of the American budget crisis, NATO's announcements represent a message of support for Ukraine that is clearly aimed at the Kremlin. A deterrence logic that is reminiscent of the conflicts of the Cold War.
Published on: 01/19/2024 – 03:26
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With our correspondent in Brussels, Pierre Benazet
With 90,000 troops, the “Unwavering Defenders” exercise is a record in terms of the number of soldiers deployed, said the Chairman of the Chiefs of General Staff of the NATO countries. These large-scale exercises will last several months and involve 1,100 combat vehicles, 80 aircraft and 50 ships. Since 1988, in the middle of the Cold War, no allied exercise had reached a comparable scale.
Furthermore, even if the name Russia is not explicitly mentioned, this is precisely what is at stake, as the steadfast defense exercise will involve the entire continent and will also involve the deployment of American and Canadian soldiers against “an enemy of comparable size”.
NATO member states wanted the alliance not to be on the front line in the face of Russia's invasion of Ukraine so as not to give rise to the Kremlin's confrontational rhetoric. Thus, it is the United States that chairs the Ramstein Armaments Group and it is France that launched the artillery coalition this Thursday. Nevertheless, NATO is trying to show that it has the capabilities and the will to face a major offensive.