“Don’t even think about it”: NATO drills at Russia’s doorstep are a message | Jeppe Kofod

Amid ongoing Russian provocations and acts of hybrid warfare, NATO began its long-planned Baltic exercises earlier this week, opening them with a flyby of U.S. jets around the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad, wedged between Poland and Lithuania.

“We have to be resilient. We have to do the rehearsal of our military forces. And that's what we’re also seeing near Kaliningrad (...) that will show Russia that if they will provoke us, we are ready to respond,” Jeppe Kofod, former Danish Foreign Minister, told TVP World.

“So they shouldn’t even think about that idea,” he added. “And I think the fact that U.S. is part of these NATO exercises is natural, but it’s also showing that U.S. is still very present in Europe, and that is good for our security.”

Kofod admitted that Russian ballistic strikes on Ukraine amid a shortage of interceptors have highlighted the importance of air defense and the gap between Russia’s offensive capabilities and the West’s defensive capabilities in the field, but added that Nordic leaders “talk about common air defense as one of the solutions.”

“And I think this is something where we can strengthen each other because each country has military assets,” he said. “Poland has a lot of military assets, and if you bring them together, then Russia will have no chance.”

Join TVP World’s Maciej Mikos and his guest as they explore the growing military integration of the Nordic countries within NATO, the challenge of protecting critical infrastructure in the Baltic Sea region from Russian hybrid attacks, and how Europe can strengthen its air-defense capabilities while continuing to support Ukraine against Russia’s missile and drone campaign.

Chapters:
00:00 Nordic countries’ NATO integration and military preparedness
01:12 NATO’s Baltic exercises and need for faster defense spending
02:19 Baltic Sea security and protecting energy infrastructure
04:01 The need to boost air defenses and regional military cooperation
04:58 U.S. involvement in Baltic exercises and Denmark’s Arctic presence
08:01 Air defense support for Ukraine
09:43 EU tensions over migration and border security

🔴 Watch our 24/7 livestream - https://youtube.com/live/9RY46AUtIl4

Bringing you all the latest daily news and updates, TVP World is Poland's first English-language channel where you can find world news as seen from the Polish perspective and the latest news from the CEE region. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram.

https://tvpworld.com/
https://www.facebook.com/tvpworldcom
https://twitter.com/TVPWorld_com
https://www.instagram.com/tvp_world/
https://www.threads.net/@tvp_world
https://bsky.app/profile/tvpworld.bsky.social
https://www.tiktok.com/@tvpworld.com
https://t.me/tvp_world

#Russia #Ukraine #NATO