Jamestown Senior Fellow Olevs Nikers Is Interviewed by Newsweek on NATO’s Response to Ukraine War
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On November 17, Jamestown Foundation Senior Fellow Olevs Nikers was interviewed by Newsweek regarding NATO’s strategic response and adaptation to Russia’s war against Ukraine.
“The security situation on NATO’s eastern flank rapidly deteriorated after Russia’s second attack on Ukraine this February. … The Baltic countries are the most exposed to the Russian threat and now it is critical for eastern Europe and the Baltic countries, as well as for the European and transatlantic communities, to ensure credibility of the deterrence for the eastern flank.”
Land forces, Nikers said, are especially important for the small Baltic states that would bear the brunt of Russian action. “We must refocus more on the combat and combat readiness,” he added, including for example anti-tank weapons, anti-air defense, coastal missile batteries, multiple launch rocket systems, and supporting radars.
Societal cohesion remains more important than any one weapons system, Nikers said. “The main lesson from this war is that resilience of the whole of society matters the most, as far as it goes to values of freedom and democracy, which will be defended by all means.”
