As autumn fog settles over the North Sea, the rumble of fighter jets slicing through the skies serves as a stark reminder that Europe’s post-Cold War thaw is long over.
NATO’s annual “Steadfast Noon” nuclear deterrence exercise kicked off earlier this month, drawing sharp rebukes from Moscow just as the war in Ukraine grinds into its fourth year.
In a briefing that echoed through diplomatic channels this week, Russia’s Foreign Ministry issued a fresh warning: some alliance members are flirting with disaster by eyeing the end of self-imposed bans on hosting U.S. nuclear weapons, a move that could unravel decades of non-proliferation efforts.
The exercise, involving up to 60 aircraft from 14 NATO nations and hosted this year by Belgium, is a routine affair on paper—fighter jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads practicing maneuvers over the North Sea and the U.K., with no live ordnance involved.
But in the shadow of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, nothing feels routine anymore.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, speaking ahead of the drills, framed them as essential housekeeping, stating, “We need to do this because it helps us to make sure that our nuclear deterrent It also sends a clear signal to any potential adversary that we will and can protect and defend all allies against all threats.”
From the Kremlin, the signal received is far less benign.remains as credible, and as safe, and as secure, and as effective as possible.
A Chilling Warning Between “Nuclear Powers”
Maria Zakharova, the Foreign Ministry’s outspoken spokeswoman, used a Wednesday briefing to zero in on Poland, accusing Warsaw of lobbying Washington to station American nukes on its soil—a direct challenge to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
“By resorting to such moves, formally non-nuclear NATO members once again demonstrate their defiant disregard for the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons,” Zakharova said, her words carried by state news agency TASS.
She didn’t stop there, cautioning that “it should not be excluded that some of them… may completely abandon [their obligations] in the future.”
Zakharova labeled the Steadfast Noon drills “deeply destabilizing,” arguing they hone “the corresponding capabilities of the NATO countries” in ways that heighten strategic risks.
Her comments landed just days after Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov delivered an even blunter assessment during a webinar hosted by Moscow’s Center for Energy and Security Studies.
Ryabkov, a veteran of arms control talks, warned that NATO’s “hostile policy” risks “a head-on clash between nuclear powers.“
He singled out the alliance’s push for “joint nuclear missions,” including expanding the footprint of U.S. warheads across Europe and delegating strike authority to more non-nuclear allies.
“Among the relevant negative factors, we highlight the hostile policy of NATO countries, which can lead to a head-on clash between nuclear powers,” Ryabkov said, tying the critique to the erosion of treaties like the now-defunct Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) accord.
This isn’t bluster in a vacuum. Russia’s warnings come against a backdrop of stalled peace efforts and battlefield shifts in Ukraine.
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