Russia will respond to the US and NATO military build-up in Europe by partially increasing its military presence on its western borders and deepening military integration with Belarus, including the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in the republic. This opinion was expressed by Valdai Club expert Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the Higher School of Economics of the National Research University. “lenta.ru”.
According to the expert, Russia will focus on nuclear weapons and precision-guided missiles to prevent its rivals from being dragged into a full-scale arms race.
Suslov stated that the country’s response to the build-up of Western forces would be asymmetrical in nature, without large-scale deployment of troops, as the USSR did within the framework of the Warsaw Pact, if a deliberate provocation followed.
There are currently nearly 100 thousand American soldiers in Europe. The expert believes that this figure should not be considered final; In connection with the situation in Ukraine and Israel, Washington may decide to expand the European military infrastructure.
Suslov claimed that European countries would not be against such a step, that since last year, only 7 of 30 NATO member countries had agreed to spend 2 percent of their GDP on military expenditures, and that they preferred to leave decisions on defense issues to the United States.
Previously in the USA questioned The rigidity of Russia’s “red lines”.