• Military Menu                       

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Industry
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• WMD
• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

NATO commander says members must be 'more aggressive' toward Russia

Iran Press TV

Monday, 01 December 2025 9:05 AM

A top commander of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has said members must be "more aggressive" toward Russia.

In an interview with the Financial Times published on Sunday, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, who currently serves as Chair of the NATO Military Committee, said member states are studying "proactive" actions against Moscow.

The Italian head of the bloc's military committee said NATO member states were weighing options to respond to what he described as Russia's "hybrid war."

"We are studying everything ... being more aggressive or being proactive instead of reactive is something that we are thinking about," Dragone said.

The admiral also pointed out that a "pre-emptive strike" by NATO's forces could also be considered as a "defensive action," though it would be "further away from our normal way of thinking and behavior."

Eastern European diplomats, according to the report, have been especially vocal about demanding tougher measures and military action against Russia, including retaliatory cyberattacks.

However, the admiral claimed NATO's decision-making process was slow and had been delayed by legal and ethical concerns, as well as jurisdictional issues.

Nonetheless, NATO member states have increased their air patrols in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states since September.

The move was in response to alleged airspace violations linked to Russia.

Russian officials, however, rejected the claims, criticizing US-led Western leaders for warmongering.

NATO members were reportedly considering launching a retaliatory joint cyber offensive targeting Moscow.

Moscow has also rejected claims of hacking any Western institutions, saying that it has already been targeted in numerous cyberattacks, including some by pro-Ukrainian groups.

According to Denis Gonchar, Russia's Ambassador to Belgium, US-led NATO member states are pursuing a "rampant militarization" of the European continent under the pretext of defending themselves against the "non-existent" Russian plan to attack them.

Gonchar said that NATO, "by intimidating its population with the Kremlin's non-existent plans to attack the alliance countries," had begun "preparing for a major war with Russia, as strange as it might seem."

He said that Moscow is not seeking confrontation with other countries, neither in Europe nor in Asia, but instead has been "working with like-minded partners to create a common security architecture in Eurasia."