Speaking at a news conference in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg described Moscow's missile strikes on civilian targets in cities throughout Ukraine this week as a sign of weakness, news agencies reported.
Russia on Monday and Tuesday fired dozens of cruise missiles on the Ukrainian capital Kyiv and many other cities throughout the country, including Lviv, Dnipro, Zaporizhzhia and Kharkiv, according to news reports.
Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels that Russian President Vladimir Putin was "failing in Ukraine" and that his army was "actually losing on the battlefield."
'Nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought'
Stoltenberg also said that NATO had "not seen any changes" in Russia's nuclear posture, but remained "vigilant," public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.
He announced that the Western military alliance would go ahead with its "long-planned deterrence exercise, Steadfast Noon" next week.
"This is routine training, which happens every year to keep our deterrent safe, secure and effective," he said.
He added: "President Putin’s veiled nuclear threats are dangerous and irresponsible. Russia knows that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought."
Stoltenberg was speaking ahead of a two-day meeting of NATO defence ministers in the Belgian capital on Wednesday and Thursday.
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Source: IAR, PAP, Reuters, nato.int