OMM Redaksiyası
Russia does not have enough forces to launch a major attack on NATO while its military remains engaged in Ukraine, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said, according to remarks reported by TVP Info on Monday.
Sikorski was expanding on a warning he issued last week that Warsaw had received information from several sources suggesting Russia was “preparing something big this year”.
Poland urges NATO to remain vigilant
Asked what form Moscow’s plans could take, Sikorski said only Russian President Vladimir Putin knew for certain. He added that NATO members needed to remain prepared, avoid being manipulated and respond immediately to any provocation.
“Russia doesn’t have the forces for a major attack on NATO,” Sikorski said. “All its forces are tied up in Ukraine.”
Warning of smaller-scale provocations
The Polish foreign minister suggested that Moscow could instead attempt “something on a smaller scale that might cause some controversy among allies”.
According to Sikorski, an incident that prompted European and US members of NATO to disagree over whether the alliance’s Article 5 mutual-defence clause applied would serve the Kremlin’s interests.
“Russia might do more aggressively what it’s already doing,” he added.
Western governments have accused Moscow of carrying out sabotage and airspace incursions as part of a hybrid warfare campaign targeting NATO and European Union countries.
