Trump administration fears escalation over NATO missiles in the Baltics

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has expressed concern that NATO’s deployment of missiles capable of striking deep into Russian territory will lead to escalation.

This was reported by The Economist.

According to the publication, a number of officials in the American administration believe that such steps by the alliance increase the risk of further deterioration of the situation. In addition, the White House has signaled that in the event of a conflict involving NATO, the United States does not intend to enter into combat operations on behalf of the Baltic states.

The Economist also reports that Washington canceled a planned deployment to Germany of a unit equipped with Tomahawk cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 km, suspended fulfillment of an order for that weapon, and banned allies from using advanced artificial intelligence models.

Against this backdrop, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Grushko stated on June 22 that NATO and the European Union are preparing for a military confrontation with Russia around 2030. According to him, from a military standpoint the difference between NATO and the EU is already small in terms of aggressive intentions toward Moscow, and their main goal is to achieve the strategic defeat of Russia. Later, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova stated that NATO, together with Ukraine, is developing weapons to strike Russian air bases, including deep within the country’s territory.

The North Atlantic Alliance has repeatedly spoken of concerns about a possible conflict with Russia. Alliance Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged member states “not to be naive” about the threat emanating from Moscow. Commander of the German Army Christian Freuding stated that the country “must prepare for a Russian attack” by 2029 or even earlier.

“We must be ready to fight,” Freuding said.

Russia, for its part, has repeatedly denied any intention to attack NATO. On June 18, Maria Zakharova stated that Moscow would deliver a devastating response in the event of an attack by any NATO member country. President Vladimir Putin has emphasized that Russia has “no reason whatsoever” to go to war with NATO countries.