NATO’s Largest Air Exercise, Air Defender 2023, Amidst the Ukrainian-Russian War: Analysis by Professor Hrvoje Klasic

ZAGREB – Against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the demonstration of military might by NATO dangerous. This was disclosed professor of history at the University of Zagreb, Hrvoje Klasic.

In an interview with Xinhua, Klasic said, NATO’s largest air exercise entitled Air Defender 2023 is a show of strength at a time when the situation in Ukraine is deteriorating. A show of force is never good because it is always a threat to peace.

“NATO must be careful because its activities strain relations in the world,” Klasic said as quoted by the Chinese news agency, Wednesday (14/6/2023).

NATO started the Air Defender 2023 exercise on Monday. About 10,000 troops and 250 aircraft, including 70 from Germany and more than 100 from the United States (US), are participating in the maneuvers which will last until June 23.

Emphasizing that NATO should not become an extension of the US, Klasic said that alliance members must react in a measured way to the activities carried out, and this applies especially to Germany, the host of the military exercises.

According to Klasic, weapons will not solve the conflict in Ukraine. Instead, the conflicting parties should sit down and talk.

“Right now it is better to find a diplomatic solution, not to escalate the conflict,” he said.

About 300 people protested the drills in northern Germany on Saturday, saying they underlined the rejection of negotiations with Russia and further escalated an already threatening situation.

(ian)