NATO Military Chairman: "Russia Will Lose More Than It Gains if It Attacks the Baltic States"

"The Russian Threat Is Real, Reinforcement Needed"

"We Must Strive to Fill the Gap Left by U.S. Capabilities"

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) official website

Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, Chairman of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Military Committee, pointed out in an interview with the Ukrainian media outlet Kyiv Independent on the 19th (local time) that Russia currently poses a real threat. He warned that neighboring countries, including the Baltic states and Poland, could suffer even greater damage if they are attacked.

Chairman Dragone stated, "The threat from Russia is real, and NATO is preparing for the possibility of a Russian offensive on the eastern front," adding, "If Russia attacks Poland, or the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, it will lose far more than it could possibly gain." However, he emphasized, "The top priority for NATO member states remains negotiation for a ceasefire and a lasting peace for Ukraine."

Since last month, large-scale offensive and defensive operations using drones and ballistic missiles by Ukraine and Russia have greatly shaken the security of neighboring NATO allies. Earlier that day, Ukrainian authorities announced that at least 20 people were killed and 142 were injured in a massive Russian airstrike across Ukraine.

Chairman Dragone also evaluated positively the U.S. Trump administration's reduction of military presence in Europe. He said, "We recognize the reality that the U.S. needs to redirect its attention, capabilities, and energy elsewhere," and explained, "In the near future, confrontations are expected on several fronts, and NATO, in cooperation with the U.S., is smoothly preparing to fill potential gaps in Europe."

He continued, "Currently, the major capabilities provided by the U.S. to NATO are broad, including strategic airlift, precision strike capabilities, electronic warfare, and reconnaissance, and we are focusing on these areas." He also pointed out, "With 10 years left until NATO member states achieve 5% of GDP in defense spending, each member state is moving in the right direction, but greater effort is still needed in terms of procurement speed."

He especially argued that European countries must pay more attention not only to arms procurement but also to recruiting troops. "A portion of the increased defense spending must be used for personnel management to make military enlistment a more attractive option," he said. "Many countries are already moving to increase troop numbers by reinstating conscription or expanding reserve forces, but there is still a lot of work to be done," he added.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.