Former NATO Military Chief General Kujat Slams Limited War Scenarios for Europe as ‘Absurd’

July 18, 2019 (EIRNS)—Retired German Gen. Harald Kujat, former Bundeswehr chief of staff (2000-2002) and former NATO Military Committee Chairman (2002-2005), said in an interview with Germany’s Focus weekly that scenarios making the rounds in NATO circles about an alleged Russian regionally-limited military attack on NATO member states are “totally absurd.”

Kujat says it is evident that Russia does have the military capacity to occupy the three Baltic states within a few hours, but the Russians could do that without having to go into a costly arms buildup. NATO’s rationale that it was forced to “respond” to what it claims the Russians are doing, is wrong, Kujat says.

Russia’s investments into modern weapons systems are designed to “maintain the strategic balance with the United States,” but that is not mentioned in Western defense assessments, Kujat explained. What is not mentioned at all, is that neither the United States nor NATO ever tried to insist on the continuation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF). The U.S. has “not once responded” to Russian offers to have mutual control of weapons systems onsite. And NATO itself has not shown any commitment, to this day, to resume the inspections. The right to inspect, naturally must also be granted to Russia, for instance in respect to the highly disputed “Baltic Missile Defense System” of NATO, Kujat says.