Germany's chief of defense warns of potential tensions with Russia as Moscow prepares for its joint military exercise 'Zapad' with Belarus in two weeks near NATO ally Lithuania's border

The Germany-led military training exercise "Northern Coasts" began Monday in the Baltic Sea region with participation from more than a dozen NATO allies, including the US and Canada.

Germany's top military commander Gen. Carsten Breuer announced at a Berlin press conference that the military drills will form the core of the Quadriga exercise series, aiming to enhance deterrence and improve the operational readiness of participating armed forces.

"Russian President Putin is watching us. His plans extend beyond Ukraine. As armed forces, we must prepare for this," he said, adding that participating forces will focus on both hybrid and conventional threats.

"The military exercise involves 8,000 soldiers from 14 nations, 40 ships, 30 aircraft, and more than 1,800 vehicles," he told reporters. "We will practice transporting troops and equipment to Lithuania by sea, land, and air."

Gen. Carsten Breuer also warned about potential tensions with Russia, which prepares to conduct its joint military exercise "Zapad" with Belarus in two weeks near NATO ally Lithuania's border.

"Some parts of Quadriga will inevitably overlap with Zapad," he said, explaining that both exercises will take place in close succession with military forces operating near each other.

"And I would like to emphasize once again that we want to deter, we do not want escalation. We are practicing defense exclusively," he continued.

"For Zapad 2025, we have not yet received any evidence that there are any preparations for an attack under the guise of the exercises. But we are vigilant. And by vigilant, I don't just mean the German armed forces, I mean NATO," Breuer added.(AA)