US Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Alexus Grynkewich said that NATO’s response to Russia’s hybrid threats should be arming Ukraine.
Speaking at the Warsaw Security Forum on Monday, Grynkewich said NATO members should do so through the alliance’s Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List (PURL), which bankrolls US weaponry for Kyiv.
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“One of the main goals is to break the West’s will to continue supporting Ukraine. Therefore, one of the best responses is to prove to them that this assumption is false,” Grynkewich said, as reported by Ukrainian state media Ukrinform.
“When one of these attacks occurs, respond by increasing your contributions to the PURL program or transferring interceptor missiles for air defense and show that the Russian premise for such activities is false and that they only strengthen our resolve,” he added.
Grynkewich’s comments came as Europe warned of intensifying Russian hybrid warfare that ranges from cyberattacks to drone incursions and assassinations, with some NATO members warning of Moscow’s potential, controlled escalations with a NATO member in the coming months.
But the comments also came as Washington and Kyiv’s ties strain over US President Donald Trump’s diesel deal with Moscow, with Trump subsequently telling Kyiv to halt attacks on Russian refineries.
Following the diplomatic fallout, Washington reportedly threatened to cut off weapons supplies to Kyiv through PURL unless Kyiv stops hitting Russian refineries, according to unnamed European officials cited by the Financial Times.
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Speaking in Warsaw on Monday, Grynkewich also called for stronger responses to NATO adversaries.
“If someone is foolish enough to attack us, we will fight,” Grynkewich said, as reported by Reuters.
“We will stop the attack and deny them the ability to achieve their objectives, whatever those might be. We will, in short, ensure any attack, against any ally, proves utterly futile,” he added.
Grynkewich also said the response should apply to “anything and everything that supports, sustains, and controls” the adversaries without naming either Russia or its refineries.
“Should the adversary choose to press the attack or commit his reserves, we will break the warfighting system engaged against us,” he added.
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