NATO member states must not accept deliberate acts of hybrid warfare, stated US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker on Saturday. He emphasized that the United States will stand alongside its allies in addressing these incidents, according to reports.
Whitaker raised concerns about last month’s attempted drone attack on the Leipzig/Halle airport in Germany, which Berlin has attributed to Russia. He indicated that this incident is more alarming than other recent encounters involving Russian drones targeting Ukraine that veered off course.
“There are also what I would call more concerning hybrid actions, like those seen in Leipzig and Poland,” Whitaker noted while in Italy for a business conference.
He urged NATO nations to remain prepared and vigilant, sending a strong message when targeted by such actions. “If we can identify who is behind them, as Germany did, we must communicate that such actions are unacceptable and that we will not tolerate them,” he stated.
Moreover, Whitaker highlighted that critical infrastructure, including energy targets, could be at risk and should be closely monitored by national authorities. He clarified that while responding to these threats primarily falls on individual states, the United States supports its allies facing such actions.
