In a recent speech – watch below – Bauer explained how NATO will conduct "precision strikes" on Russia as necessary to protect its interests, regardless of what Vladimir Putin says against such actions.
Bauer says it is also smart for NATO to start attacking Russia's military systems in order to stop them from being used to make any further advances in and through Ukraine.
"If Russia attacks us, you need to have a combination of the precision strike with which you can take out the weapon systems that are used to attack us," Bauer said. "And, of course, because we're a defensive alliance, we will have to take the first blow."
"So, if Russia will start the conflict – because we are not going to attack Russia out of nothing – we will need more air defense. That's one of the lessons from Ukraine. And at the same time, we are going to invest in the deep precision strike."
Admiral #RobBauer, head of #NATO's Military Committee, says NATO may consider preemptive "precision strikes" on #Russian territory in case of conflict. He notes that the alliance is shifting from a defensive to a proactive approach, targeting Russian launchers if attacked. pic.twitter.com/BHiP1rElIi
— Ivan Kircanski (@KircanskiIvan) November 25, 2024
(Related: Western officials are considering sending nuclear weapons to Ukraine in a desperate bid to stop Russia from winning the war.)
A whole new NATO based on offensive aggression
These are big words that some say will only further enrage Putin since as Bauer explained, NATO is supposed to be a defensive operation, not an offensive one.
"Pretty stupid to openly talk about preemptively striking your enemy on the world's largest social media," wrote someone on X / Twitter about Bauer's public admissions. "What a bunch of globalist boneheads."
The user who shared the above video, Ivan Kircanski (@KircanskiIvan), agreed, emphasizing the fact that NATO by its very existence is simply supposed to defend, not offend.
"Broadcasting preemptive strike plans on such a platform is reckless. Not only does it escalate tensions unnecessarily, but it also undermines NATO's claims of being a defensive alliance. Strategic ambiguity seems like a smarter play, no?"
"Shifting NATO's stance from defensive to proactive has a way of stirring the pot," added another.
Bauer "bluntly stated" that "to achieve the goals of protecting and defending the member countries of the North Atlantic Alliance, it is necessary to preemptively strike at those targets in the Russian Federation that, in NATO's opinion, could pose a threat."
Russia is responding to Bauer's words with condemnation. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that what Bauer is proposing requires that NATO "takes the first blow," and for "all decency" to have "already been discarded" by the alliance.
"Mr. Bauer is either a fool or a provocateur – perhaps both at once," commented Russian MP Sergey Mironov, leader of the "A Just Russia" political party. Should he follow through, Russia could simply launch "a hypersonic weapon from which no one has protection" and be done with it.
What Bauer said, though, does show his "true intentions" rather than the smokescreen that NATO normally provides, Lavrov further suggested.
"Throughout the war, every single decision has been calibrated by the Biden administration and its allies with a goal of slowing the slippery slide towards a direct conflict between two nuclear-armed states," warns Andrew Payne, foreign policy and security senior lecturer at City St. George's, University of London.
"The interesting dynamic here is that, were it not for the U.S. election, the Biden administration would probably be more concerned about the escalatory implications of its decisions than it currently appears to be."
The latest news about the Russia-Ukraine war can be found at WWIII.news.
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