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Russia is experiencing economic problems, but the Russian military remains strong, especially with advanced weapons, even for cyber warfare. Not surprisingly, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia is still a threat.
"Russia's economy is in a slump. Their GDP is not the same as other countries, but with conditions like that, they are still a threat and a challenge to other countries,"
Jens added that many countries, especially Europe, should take Russia seriously investing in new and modern military capabilities. They deployed new hypersonic missiles, as well as new nuclear-capable missiles.
The comments come amid heightened tensions and a series of verbal threats between Russia and the West, against the backdrop of Russia's massive troop buildup along the Ukrainian border. Ukrainian and Western officials fear a Russian ground invasion of its western neighbour, whose Crimean peninsula was annexed by Russia in 2014. Moscow has rejected the idea, pointing instead to what it says is aggression from Ukraine.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba told CNBC on Thursday, "Putin has not yet decided whether to carry out a military operation. But if he decides to do so, everything will happen in the blink of an eye."
NATO will continue to provide 'support' for Ukraine
Ukrainian officials say about 90,000 Russian troops have gathered along the border, and satellite imagery shows a large amount of heavy weaponry with them.
"What we are seeing now is very concerning because we are seeing a gradual but significant buildup of the Russian military in and around Ukraine with armored units, artillery, battle tanks and with tens of thousands of combatant troops," Stoltenberg said.
Western officials have warned of "severe consequences" for Russia in the event of a new conflict, but have not detailed what might fall outside of potential sanctions. Some analysts say this signals a lack of firmness or a unified approach among Western leaders on how to deal with Russia.
However, NATO has expressed its commitment to provide "support" for Ukraine as a partner. Although because it is not an official member of the transatlantic alliance, it is not covered by a mutual defense agreement that would guarantee NATO protection if attacked.
"We don't see a threat to our NATO allies, we see a threat to Ukraine," Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg also stressed the need for dialogue with Russia to reduce tensions, something Russian President Vladimir Putin also requested. However, so far this dialogue has not materialized.
