According to the chairman of NATO's military committee, Admiral Rob Bauer, the countries of the alliance are ready for a potential direct clash with Russia.

"The enemy decides when and where to attack you and how long the conflict will last." Unfortunately, Ukraine was convinced of this. Are we ready? The answer is: yes! This is our main task - to be ready. If it happens today, then we will have to fight with what we have," said Rob Bauer.

In response to a question about readiness on NATO's eastern flank, Admiral Rob Bauer recalled how the alliance has expanded its presence in the Baltic states since 2016 and after the outbreak of full-scale war in Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.

"Now we have eight such battalion-sized combat groups that can be combined into a brigade if necessary. The respective countries are constantly working on this mechanism. If more is needed, then we will consider it. But for now it is enough," said the admiral.

According to him, modern warfare also has other dimensions, such as cyberspace or attacks in space, and Russia also has ways of influencing the Arctic, the Western Atlantic Ocean, Africa, the Mediterranean Sea, and the Black Sea.

"It would be naive to focus only on the eastern flank, because the Russians are not only there. They are everywhere. That's why NATO is constantly monitoring their actions and responding if necessary," said Rob Bauer.

According to him, he is not too worried about the prospects of increasing threats from Russia after the re-election of Vladimir Putin, because the war against Ukraine has weakened Russia, and the replenishment and modernization of its troops will be hindered by the sanctions imposed by the West.

"We see that Russia has the ability to produce a significant amount of weapons, but its quality has been steadily declining since the beginning of the war. They have some plans, but they are at war, so they need a lot of time. It will not be easy for them," said Rob Bauer.