Ukraine war: NATO fears a broader war, US worries about Russia-Iran ‘partnership’, and pre-emptive strikes from Putin

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1. The NATO chief fears that Ukraine could spark a wider war

The NATO chief expressed concern that the fighting in Ukraine could spiral out of control and become an all-out conflict between Russia and NATO, during an interview published on Friday.

“If things go wrong, they can go terribly wrong,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told Norwegian radio station NRK.

It’s a terrible war in Ukraine. It is also a war that could turn into an all-out war that will move into a major war between NATO and Russia.” “We are working on that every day to avoid that.”

Stoltenberg, the former Norwegian prime minister, said in the interview that there was “no doubt that an all-out war is possible”.

He added that it was important to avoid a conflict that “involvees more countries in Europe and become a full-blown war in Europe.”

The Kremlin has repeatedly accused NATO allies of becoming a de facto party to the conflict by supplying weapons to Ukraine, training its forces, and providing military intelligence to attack Russian forces.

Ukraine says it is fighting for freedom against an unwanted occupier and aggressor.

2. The United States is concerned about the Russian-Iranian partnership

On Friday, the White House issued a stark warning about the ever-increasing “military partnership” between Tehran and Moscow.

It described the cooperation as “extensive”, although Russia denied it needed military support from anyone in Ukraine.

John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said Moscow has “offered Iran an unprecedented level of military and technical support,” which “transforms their relationship into a full defense partnership.”

He added that this development is “harmful” to Ukraine, Iran’s neighbors and the “international community”, while announcing sanctions against three Russian entities active in the field of purchasing and distributing Iranian drones.

Moscow has been accused of using Iranian-made drones to cripple Ukraine’s energy and water infrastructure, and to disable electricity and other vital utilities for civilians for long periods amid grim winter conditions.

Russia denied using Iranian weapons, although an Iranian official later said it had supplied weapons to Moscow before the Ukraine war broke out in February.

John Kirby said that Moscow and Tehran plan to launch joint production of “killer” drones in Russia, according to US intelligence, without going into further details about the project.

The spokesman also said that Iran is considering whether to sell “hundreds” of ballistic missiles to Russia, information the United States has already announced.

But the defense cooperation between the pair is not one-sided.

Russia has provided Iranian security forces with training amid the country’s violent crackdown on anti-government protests, IranWire reports.

“We’re asking Iran to change course,” Kirby said, referring to the proposed missile sale and joint drone venture.

“We will use every means at our disposal to expose and disrupt these activities,” he added. “We are ready to do more.”

At a meeting of the UN Security Council on Friday afternoon, Russia again denied receiving weapons from Tehran. It did not mention the White House accusations.

Russian Ambassador to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzia stated that “Russia’s military-industrial complex is functioning very well and does not need anyone’s support.” He noted that Russia had “refuted” these accusations on “several occasions”.

3. Putin says Russia might consider a preemptive strike to disarm adversaries

On Friday, Vladimir Putin said that Russia may launch a preemptive strike to disarm the enemy.

The Russian president made the remark after he asked a reporter in Kyrgyzstan to clarify his statement on the use of nuclear weapons earlier this week.

Days after he warned of the growing dangers of nuclear war, Putin said Moscow was considering adopting what he called Washington’s concept of a pre-emptive strike, a kind of first attack that eliminates the enemy’s ability to retaliate.

He assured reporters on Wednesday that Moscow would not be the first to deploy atomic weapons.

“First, the United States has developed the concept of a preventive strike. Second, it is developing a strike system aimed at disarming [the enemy]Putin told reporters after visiting the Kyrgyz capital, Bishkek.

He added that Moscow might consider adopting “the ideas put in place by the Americans to ensure their security.”

“We’re just thinking about it.”

The Russian president has repeatedly emphasized that his country will not be the first to use nuclear weapons.

On Wednesday, he claimed, “Russia will not use it first under any circumstances.”

“But if you do not use it first under any circumstances, then you will not use it second either, because the chances of using it in the event of a nuclear strike against our territory are extremely small.”

The US State Department denounced these remarks, saying, “Any discussion, however vague, on nuclear weapons is totally irresponsible.”

The specter of nuclear war returned to international affairs after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, marking a step towards the old Cold War politics.

4. Lithuania to train a Ukrainian battalion as part of an EU mission

Lithuania is set to train a battalion of Ukrainian forces under the EU’s new support mission for Ukraine, the country’s Chief of Defense Staff Valdemaras Robches said on Friday.

The mission — led by Poland and Germany — began in November, and some 15,000 Ukrainian soldiers are expected to be trained.

“It is possible that we will lead the training of one of the battalions,” Robchis told reporters in Vilnius. He said that Lithuania will teach in Germany.

The training will focus on combat, but Lithuania is also studying Ukrainian forces in areas such as mine clearance, engineering, mechanics, and military and civil cooperation.

Speaking in the Lithuanian capital yesterday, Robert Praeger, chairman of the EU Military Committee, said that 16 EU countries have already offered their support to train Ukrainian forces.

The United Kingdom provided more military instruction than almost any other country, putting nearly 6,000 Ukrainian civilians through basic training on British soil, while France assisted only a handful.

Lithuania, along with Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Canada, the Netherlands and New Zealand, sent military personnel to assist the UK’s efforts.

Lithuania announced earlier that it will train about 1,500 Ukrainian soldiers in 2023. And the Ukrainian contingent that I mentioned on Friday, which will include hundreds of soldiers, is part of that number.

However, the number of Ukrainian troops to be trained could increase.

“We are very flexible and always respond quickly to requests from the Ukrainian military or political leadership, and quickly organize the necessary training for them,” said Robchis.

5. Belarus backtracks on conditions for Ukrainian grain exports

Belarus told the United Nations on Friday that it would allow, without any conditions, the transfer of grain from Ukraine through its territory to Lithuanian ports, according to a UN spokesperson.

Belarus – which Russia used as a staging ground for Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine – said in June it would only allow Ukrainian grain to pass through the country to Baltic Sea ports, if Belarus was allowed to ship its goods from the ports. we will.

Ukraine did not agree to the proposal.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Belarusian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuriy Ambrazevich met with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York on Friday to inform him that there were now no longer any preconditions for transit of Ukrainian grain.

A UN spokesman said Ambrazevic also reiterated “his government’s demands to enable the export of its fertilizer products, which are currently subject to sanctions.”

Belarus, a major global producer of potash, was hit by harsh Western sanctions in 2021-2022, which disrupted its fertilizer exports through Baltic Sea ports.

In July, the United Nations and Turkey brokered an agreement with Russia and Ukraine to resume Ukrainian grain shipments from the Black Sea – halted since the start of the war – and to facilitate Russian shipments of food and fertilizer.

The United Nations is still working to restart exports of Russian ammonia, a key component of fertilizers, via pipeline to a Black Sea port in Ukraine.

The United Nations said Russia’s war in Ukraine has exacerbated the global food crisis, pushing some 47 million people into “severe hunger”.

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