NATO ready to respond to Russian and Chinese threats with nuclear weapons

(Patria) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the British newspaper The Telegraph that NATO members are discussing the use of their nuclear arsenal as a deterrent given the growing threat from Russia and China.

"I will not discuss operational details about how many nuclear warheads should be operational and which will be stored, but we need to consult on these issues. That is exactly what we are doing. Transparency helps convey a direct message that we are, of course, a nuclear alliance," he told the newspaper, adding:

"NATO's goal is, of course, a world without nuclear weapons, but as long as nuclear weapons exist, we will remain a nuclear alliance because a world in which Russia, China and North Korea have nuclear weapons, and NATO does not, is a more dangerous world."

Stoltenberg said last week that nuclear weapons are NATO's "ultimate security guarantee" and a means of preserving peace.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly warned that Moscow could use nuclear weapons to defend itself in extreme circumstances. Moscow accuses the United States and its European allies of pushing the world to the brink of a nuclear conflict by supplying Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of weapons, which are used to attack Russian territory.

NATO, which has taken on a greater role in coordinating military aid for Kyiv, rarely speaks publicly about nuclear weapons, although it is known that the United States has deployed nuclear bombs at several locations in Europe.