Matthew Whitaker, the U.S. ambassador to NATO, told a crowd at the Warsaw Security Forum that the alliance should overhaul its military infrastructure to allow fast deployments from Western to Eastern Europe.
Whitaker spoke about the importance of “moving things from the west to the east” when it comes to military movements. He also said that moving eastward is important because Eastern Europe is “where we would expect any future conflict,” according to multiple outlets.
“Europe has got to be prepared for conflict because, as President Washington reminded us and as the Romans reminded us, the most effective way to ensure peace is to be prepared for war,” Whitaker said at the conference in Poland on Monday.
Whitaker’s comments come as tensions have escalated in Eastern European countries such as Poland and Lithuania as they air concerns about the possibility of Russian attacks on a NATO ally, over four years into Russia’s war with Ukraine.
Poland’s interior minister, Marcin Kierwinski, announced over the weekend that Polish law enforcement arrested a man suspected of planning an attack on Prime Minister Donald Tusk. After this news and Tusk’s vocal campaign in support of Ukraine and against any possible Russian hybrid attacks, NATO and international leaders descended upon Warsaw for the international forum.
The Supreme Allied Commander Europe for NATO, U.S. Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich, indirectly threatened to respond to Russia if it attacked NATO countries, referring to Moscow indirectly as “the adversary.”
“Should the adversary choose to press the attack or commit his reserves, we will break the warfighting system engaged against us,” Grynkewich said. “This includes not just the attacking force itself, but anything and everything that supports, sustains, and controls that force.”
NATO COMMANDER THREATENS TO DESTROY ‘ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING’ IF RUSSIA ATTACKS
Lithuania, which borders Belarus and the Russian exclave Kaliningrad, is also preparing to strengthen its defense amid worries about possible Russian hybrid attacks on NATO allies and Eastern European countries. The Lithuanian Parliament moved to allow nuclear weapons on its soil, with a final vote to take place in January, as the Kremlin is already waving red flags over the move.
President Donald Trump announced an energy infrastructure ceasefire on Sunday between Russia and Ukraine, one day after saying Ukraine needs a new leader “who can make a deal” if the countries want peace. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has violated the ceasefire.