NATO's military capabilities are clearly superior to Russia's, the defence alliance's supreme commander, US General Alexus Grynkewich, told the German news magazine Der Spiegel.
In an interview published on Friday, Grynkewich said the military capabilities the alliance would deploy in a major conflict "far exceed those of Moscow." Russia does not have modern F-35 fighter jets, nor the mass of modern destroyers or submarines that NATO has, he noted.
The general said he was certain Russia would not launch a large-scale conventional attack on Europe. Russian President Vladimir Putin is resorting to other methods, such as sabotage because he has no other options, he argued, adding that Putin did not want a direct conflict.
This was due to conventional deterrence, he said, stressing that this had to be maintained, along with modernizing the armed forces within NATO, carrying out extensive training and demonstrating capabilities.
Asked whether it was appropriate to term Russia's actions as "shadow" warfare, the four-star general told Spiegel said it was too vague to talk of hybrid attacks.
"We must call things by their name: Sabotage, arson or terror attacks are precise terms, with clear answers," he said.
Asked whether Europe was already at war with Russia, Grynkewich said Putin was playing a "dangerous game."
"He wants to convince our people that it is dangerous to support Ukraine, and that this could end in a war with Russia." So far, fortunately, the strategy was not working, the US general said.
