NATO chief says 'no immediate military threat' against alliance

OSLO

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday that there were "no immediate military threat" against any member of the alliance, after the Kremlin has accused the West of potentially escalating the war in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg's statements follows heightened tensions between Russia and NATO members.

The Kremlin accused the West last week of "entering a new round of escalations in tensions," after U.S. President Joe Biden lifted restrictions on Ukraine using weapons supplied by the United States against targets on Russian territory, but only to defend Kharkiv.

"As long as we don't give any room for misunderstandings or faulty assessment in Moscow or other potential capitals in countries that could potentially attack us, there is no military threat against NATO countries," Stoltenberg said while on a visit to the alliance's newest member Sweden.

Asked about whether Russia might seek to test the alliance's Article 5 commitment to defend each other, Stoltenberg said "we see no immediate military threat against any NATO country."

"Therefore it is not the case that we now believe that our Article 5 will actually be tested," he told a joint press conference with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson.

Kristersson also announced that Sweden's air force would be joining NATO's Air Policing force, with Swedish Gripen fighter jets mainly patrolling the air space of the Baltic states.

Also on Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged the West to do more to achieve a fair peace as Ukraine battles the Russian invasion.

Kiev has been pushing Europe to increase military support, with Russia gaining the upper hand on the battlefield in recent months.