NATO says it will do "anything and everything" if the alliance is attacked

While European officials have called for vigilance over possible Russian attacks, NATO commanders are warning.

NATO's top commander has warned that his forces will destroy "anything and everything" if anyone is "foolish enough" to attack the alliance, as European concerns grow over a possible Russian invasion of its soil amid the war in Ukraine.

"We will prevent the initial attack. If the attack continues, we will slow it down and prevent any advance of the enemy. And if necessary, we will break the enemy's forces and the combat operational system that are against us," US Air Force General Alexus Grinkovich said on Monday without mentioning Russia by name at the Warsaw security meeting.

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End of list Grinkovic emphasized that NATO is a defensive alliance and that he does not believe that a conflict is imminent or inevitable. He added that the most effective way to maintain peace is to prepare for war and maintain open lines of communication to "resolve misunderstandings."

European governments have accused Moscow of escalating a campaign of sabotage, drone attacks and cyberattacks against them, while Russia warned last month that NATO should try to use nuclear weapons in its Baltic region of Kaliningrad, where it has a large military base.

NATO's 10-year strategy, created in 2022, described Russia as the most important security threat to the alliance.

"In short, we will make sure that any attack, against any ally, will be completely futile," Grinkovich said.

attack anything that "supports, maintains, and controls that force"

Grinkovic added that NATO's response would not be limited to the forces involved in the initial attack.

"If the enemy decides to press the attack or commit his reserves, we will break the system of warfare that is stacked against us," he said.

"This includes not only the attacking force itself, but anything and everything that supports, maintains and controls that force."

Russian President Vladimir Putin said this month that Russia has no plans to attack any European country and wants to live in peaceful coexistence. Such announcements have not reassured European leaders, who cited similar statements by Russia ahead of a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Moscow has also repeatedly denied involvement in sabotage and other hybrid operations.

Grinkovic said he decided to speak publicly about NATO's plans because recent acts of sabotage and fire have made people around NATO nervous.

"What I want to do is reassure the one billion citizens of our alliance that we have it. We know what we have to do. We know how we're going to do it," he said.

Grinkovich sought to downplay concerns about Washington's commitment to the alliance, citing President Donald Trump's welcome at a NATO summit in Ankara in July.

I was in the room and I felt the love," she said.