Germany Says Luftwaffe Ready for Russia Clash Tonight
German Air Force chief Holger Neumann says the Luftwaffe is ready to act under NATO obligations if a conflict with Russia begins.
German Air Force Commander Holger Neumann said Germany would be ready to fight Russia «tonight» if such a conflict broke out, acting in line with its NATO commitments, The Telegraph reported.
According to Neumann, in such a scenario alliance forces could strike targets in Kaliningrad, on the Kola Peninsula, in St. Petersburg and in the Black Sea area.
He stressed that NATO treats an attack on any member state as a threat to the entire alliance. For that reason, he said, there are no separate «safe zones» within the bloc.
Neumann also said the alliance would defend every inch of its territory if a conflict erupted, while adding that he hoped such a scenario would never happen. He described that message as particularly important for the Far North and NATO’s Baltic allies.
The German Air Force commander added that if Russia attacked a NATO member, Germany’s air force would be prepared to deliver powerful airstrikes.
Moscow has repeatedly said that Russia has no intention of attacking NATO countries. Russian President Vladimir Putin has previously argued that Western politicians use claims about a «Russian threat» to frighten their own populations and shift attention away from domestic problems. According to him, such statements have no real basis and mainly serve to intensify anti-Russian rhetoric.