NATO's top commander warns any attack on the alliance would prove 'utterly futile'

NATO's most senior military commander has warned that the alliance would respond with overwhelming force to any attack on one of its members. He said NATO's aim would be to make such an attack "utterly futile".

US Air Force General Alexus Grynkewich, NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe, spoke at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland on Monday. He did not name Russia, but reports noted that his remarks were plainly directed at Moscow. NATO's 2022 strategy document describes Russia as the most significant threat to the alliance.

Block, blunt, break

Grynkewich set out a three-stage approach. NATO would first stop an initial assault. If the attack continued, it would blunt it and halt any advance, and if the adversary sent in reserves it would "break" the forces involved. He added that NATO's response would not be limited to troops on the front line. It would also target anything that supports, sustains or commands an attacking force.

"If someone is foolish enough to attack us, we will fight," he said. At the same time, he stressed that NATO is a defensive alliance. He said he did not believe a war was imminent or inevitable, and that keeping channels of communication open helps clear up misunderstandings.

Tension on Europe's eastern flank

The remarks come as European governments accuse Russia of a growing campaign of sabotage, arson, drone incursions and cyberattacks. Moscow denies any involvement. Last month Russia warned it could use nuclear weapons if NATO tried to cut off its Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad. Grynkewich said he spoke publicly partly to reassure citizens of allied countries who had been unsettled by recent incidents.

Why it matters

Relations between NATO and Russia affect energy prices, trade routes and diplomacy far beyond Europe. India buys defence equipment and oil from Russia and keeps close ties with major NATO members, so it has a direct interest in how this stand-off develops, as well as in the parallel efforts to end the war in Ukraine.