Russia Will Continue to Pose a Threat to NATO: Bauer

Russia will continue to pose a threat to NATO, even if its forces suffer defeat in Ukraine, said a senior military officer of the Western alliance, according to Voice of America.

“Regardless of the outcome of the war, Russia is likely to still have such ambitions, so the threat will not dissipate,” said NATO Military Committee Chairman Admiral Rob Bauer to reporters at the alliance's headquarters in Brussels.

Although the war has depleted Russian troops, equipment, and ammunition, NATO countries expect Moscow to try to recover and even strengthen its military capabilities, Bauer stated.

“The general opinion is that the Russians will restore what they had, that they will learn lessons from this conflict and attempt to improve what they possessed,” Bauer said. “So, this will likely affect our planning in the future,” he added.

Bauer emphasized that NATO needs time to assess how long it will take for Russia to recover and upgrade its forces.