In response to the growing military forces of the United States and NATO in Europe, Russia has announced plans to strengthen its own military presence along its western borders. This includes deepening military integration with Belarus and potentially deploying tactical nuclear weapons in the republic. Dmitry Suslov, Deputy Director of the Center for Comprehensive European and International Studies at the National Research University Higher School of Economics and expert at the Valdai Club, expressed this viewpoint in an interview with Lenta.ru.
According to Suslov, Russia will focus on nuclear weapons and precision-guided missiles to prevent being drawn into a full-scale arms race. The country’s response to the build-up of Western forces will be asymmetrical in nature, without the deployment of large-scale troops as the Soviet Union did under the Warsaw Pact, Suslov noted.
Currently, there are approximately 100,000 American military personnel stationed in Europe. Suslov believes that this number should not be seen as final, as Washington may decide to expand its European military infrastructure due to the situation in Ukraine and Israel.
Suslov speculated that European countries would not oppose such a move, as only 7 out of 30 NATO member states agreed to spend 2% of their GDP on defense last year, preferring to delegate defense matters to the United States.
Earlier, doubts were raised in the United States about the steadfastness of Russia’s “red lines.”
