NATO Chief Warns Against Ukraine Conflict Spiraling Into Broader Russia-NATO Conflict

[Webster]

(The Guardian) Nato chief warns against conflict spiralling into Russia-Nato war
The head of Nato has expressed worry that the fighting in Ukraine could spin out of control and become a war between Russia and Nato, according to an interview released Friday.

“If things go wrong, they can go horribly wrong,” Nato’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said in remarks to Norwegian broadcaster NRK. -- It is a terrible war in Ukraine. It is also a war that can become a full-fledged war that spreads into a major war between Nato and Russia. We are working on that every day to avoid that.

Associated Press also reported that the Stoltenberg said in the interview that “there is no doubt that a full-fledged war is a possibility”. Stoltenberg, a former prime minister of Norway, added that it was important to avoid a conflict “that involves more countries in Europe and becomes a full-fledged war in Europe”.

Moscow has repeatedly accused Nato allies of effectively becoming a party to the conflict by providing Ukraine with weapons, training its troops and feeding military intelligence to attack Russian forces. In comments that reflected soaring tensions between Russia and the west, President Vladimir Putin suggested Moscow might think about using what he described as the US concept of a preemptive strike. -- Speaking about a disarming strike, maybe it’s worth thinking about adopting the ideas developed by our U.S. counterparts, their ideas of ensuring their security.