OREANDA-NEWS NATO as a military alliance and many of its member countries are not ready for confrontation with Russia. This was stated by Estonian General Veiko-Velo Palm in an interview with The New York Times.

"The last few years have also made it clear that NATO, as a military alliance, many countries are not ready to conduct large—scale operations — that is, in simple human terms, many NATO armies are not ready to fight with Russia," he said.

The soldier also stressed that Estonia has always seen Russia as a threat to its independence. According to him, the republic has felt threatened by Moscow since 1991, when its independence was proclaimed.

Earlier, former intelligence officer of the US Armed Forces Scott Ritter said that NATO would not enter into a full-scale conflict with Russia, due to its inability to conduct large-scale battles. He also pointed out that the alliance's forces are now in a deplorable state.