We will not be intimidated by Russia's nuclear threats, NATO tells Moscow - Reuters

BRUSSELS, Oct 13 (Reuters) - NATO volition intimately show Russia's upcoming atomic workout but not beryllium cowed into dropping enactment for Ukraine by Moscow's veiled atomic threats, the alliance's main said connected Thursday.

"We volition not beryllium intimidated," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters aft a two-day gathering of the alliance's defence ministers. "Russia's atomic rhetoric is dangerous, reckless, and they cognize that if they usage (a) atomic limb against Ukraine, it volition person terrible consequences."

The gathering was the archetypal ample NATO gathering since Moscow announced it would annex respective Ukrainian territories, began a partial mobilisation and issued veiled atomic threats, moves NATO has classified arsenic a wide escalation of the warfare that started erstwhile Russia invaded Ukraine connected Feb. 24.

Attacks connected the Nord Stream pipelines nether the Baltic Sea besides heightened tensions arsenic Europe is suffering from an energy crunch aft Moscow mostly chopped disconnected its state supplies.

Russian subject setbacks successful Ukraine person raised concerns President Vladimir Putin mightiness travel done connected threats to usage atomic weapons.

Stoltenberg said NATO would show Russia's yearly atomic drills precise closely, arsenic it has done for decades, and stay vigilant "not slightest successful airy of the veiled atomic threats and the unsafe rhetoric we person seen from the Russian side".

The NATO main was seemingly referring to Russia's yearly Grom workout that usually takes spot successful precocious October and successful which Russia tests its nuclear-capable bombers, submarines and missiles.

NATO has vowed to spell up adjacent week with its ain yearly atomic preparedness workout dubbed "Steadfast Noon", successful which NATO aerial forces practise however to usage U.S. atomic bombs based successful Europe with grooming flights, without unrecorded weapons.

Cancelling the drills due to the fact that of the warfare successful Ukraine would person sent a "very incorrect signal," Stoltenberg said connected Tuesday.

On Wednesday, a elder NATO authoritative said a Russian atomic onslaught connected Ukraine would "almost surely beryllium drafting a carnal effect from galore allies, and perchance from NATO itself".

Stoltenberg warned Moscow of "severe consequences" should it usage immoderate benignant of atomic limb against Ukraine but declined to springiness immoderate details connected NATO's imaginable response.

The NATO main said a atomic onslaught would fundamentally alteration the quality of the struggle and signify the crossing of a precise important line.

"Even the usage of a smaller atomic limb volition beryllium a precise superior happening and fundamentally changing the quality of the warfare successful Ukraine," helium noted.

EU overseas argumentation main Josep Borrell, speaking successful Bruges, warned "any atomic onslaught against Ukraine volition make an answer, not a atomic reply but specified a almighty reply from the subject broadside that the Russian service volition beryllium annihilated, and Putin should not beryllium bluffing."

Like Stoltenberg, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin besides declined to speculate however NATO mightiness respond to a atomic strike, calling Russia's threats "reckless" and "irresponsible."

"As I look astatine indications and warnings, I don't spot immoderate request to marque immoderate changes to what we're doing close now," helium told a quality conference.

He spoke aft attending a closed-door gathering of NATO's atomic readying group, which reviews and sets the alliance's atomic policy.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said past period the United States has made wide to Moscow the "catastrophic consequences" it would look if it utilized a atomic limb successful Ukraine.

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Reporting by Phil Stewart, Sabine Siebold and Philip Blenkinsop; editing by John Stonestreet, Frank Jack Daniel and Lisa Shumaker

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