It seems that Russian President Vladimir Putin has provided a service to the West, particularly NATO, by uniting all his Western adversaries in one front. U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed that NATO has never been more united and resolute than it is today. The U.S. Department of Defense's Twitter account quoted Austin as saying that throughout his tenure, he has not seen the alliance so united.
Austin's remarks followed an announcement from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg that the alliance will deploy land, sea, and air forces from its "rapid response" units to increase readiness to face any emergencies in Eastern Europe, in response to Russian escalation towards neighboring Ukraine. He added that "the alliance's forces will include 100 aircraft, 120 ships, combat groups, and aircraft carriers."
NATO also deemed the decision to put Russian nuclear deterrent forces on high alert as "irresponsible," describing it as a new and dangerous escalation taken by Putin.
It is noteworthy that NATO's eastward expansion is considered a red line for the Kremlin, which has repeatedly demanded resolution of this issue before launching its military operation on February 24 towards Ukrainian territory. Moscow also rejects Ukraine's joining the alliance, considering such membership a threat to its national and strategic security.
In recent months, relations between the two countries have seen unprecedented tensions, with Russia amassing thousands of soldiers on the border before launching its military operations. This situation has led to widespread Western criticism and the imposition of severe sanctions on dozens of its banks, as well as on many wealthy individuals close to the Kremlin, including Putin himself and Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov. This Western alignment has shown an unprecedented unity within the alliance in the face of the policies pursued by the Russian president.
