NATO not sees no immediate military threat against any ally of the alliance, as Russia is now more than preoccupied with the war in Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a press conference during a visit to Finland on Thursday .
Consequently, we do not see any immediate military threat against any NATO ally. And now, of course, Russia is more than preoccupied with the war in Ukraine. They actually transferred a lot of forces from the outskirts of Finland and the Scandinavian countries to Ukraine. Then, of course, when the fighting in Ukraine ends, they will be able to restore these forces. But, again, this does not mean that we see any danger for an imminent attack on any NATO ally
The secretary general pointed out that NATO is 50% of the world's military power, the strongest alliance in the world. And the goal of collective defense under Article Five is to stand together, one for all, to prevent an attack. This is exactly what NATO has been doing for 75 years.
"So the idea that there is some kind of Countdown to the next war is wrong. We exist to prevent this. We've been doing this for 75 years. And we will do this for at least another 75 years," Stoltenberg said.
Earlier, The Head of the Norwegian Armed Forces, General Eirik Kristoffersen, said in an interview with Bloomberg that NATO has a window of 2-3 years to prepare before Russia regains its military potential after losses in Ukraine. This is significantly less than some Western officials have previously estimated when NATO members discussed Russia's military buildup and ability to recuperate while waging a full-scale war against Ukraine.