NATO’s top military commander issued a stark warning Monday, saying the alliance would destroy “anything and everything” that supports an attack on allied territory and dismantle an adversary’s warfighting system to prevent a potential future Russian assault.
“Should the adversary choose to press the attack or commit his reserves, we will break the warfighting system engaged against us,” US Air Force Gen. Alexus Grynkewich said at the Warsaw Security Forum in Poland, in an apparent message to Moscow.
“This includes not just the attacking force itself, but anything and everything that supports, sustains, and controls that force,” Grynkewich said during a panel titled “Theory of Victory: How Do We Achieve Military Success Against Russia in Deterrence and Defence?” on the forum’s opening day.
Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander in Europe, described a three-part strategy of “blocking, blunting and breaking” enemy forces. His remarks underscored that although NATO is a defensive alliance, it is prepared to respond decisively to an attack on any of its 32 members.
“If someone is foolish enough to attack us, we will fight,” he said. “We will stop the attack and deny them the ability to achieve their objectives, whatever those might be. We will, in short, ensure any attack, against any ally, proves utterly futile.”
The warning came as tensions between Russia and Western nations remained elevated following a series of drone incursions and suspected sabotage operations that European countries have attributed to Moscow.
“We stand here together in Poland today stronger than ever united in our common vision of a more balanced, more ready and more lethal alliance,” Grynkewich said.
European officials have accused Russia of conducting a hybrid warfare campaign involving sabotage, arson and cyberattacks, while also carrying out increasingly provocative military activity near NATO territory.
In 2025, several Russian drones entered Polish airspace during a large-scale attack on Ukraine, prompting Polish and allied aircraft to respond.
NATO subsequently launched Operation Eastern Sentry to reinforce defenses along the alliance’s eastern flank.
Romania has also reported incursions by Russian drones, while Estonia has accused Russian military aircraft of violating its airspace.
Grynkewich’s comments followed a tense weekend involving Russia and Ukraine, as Moscow launched new strikes on Ukrainian energy infrastructure despite diplomatic efforts to ease hostilities.
President Donald Trump said he had reached an agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin to increase Russian diesel supplies to the United States and global markets.
The reported arrangement included a waiver covering certain US sanctions on Russian energy exports.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of continuing to target energy facilities, raising doubts about the prospects for a broader ceasefire.
The wider tensions have also been accompanied by a series of nuclear warnings from Moscow.
On Sept. 30, Russia warned NATO that it could use nuclear weapons if the alliance attempted to isolate Kaliningrad, the heavily militarized Russian exclave on the Baltic Sea between Poland and Lithuania.
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In a diplomatic note obtained by Reuters, Moscow accused NATO of pursuing a “dangerous and reckless course” that posed “high risks of the outbreak of a direct armed conflict.”
The note said Russia could deploy its full military arsenal, including nuclear weapons, to defend Kaliningrad. It also raised the possibility of strikes on decision-making centers in NATO countries at the beginning of a conflict.
NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte rejected the threats, reaffirmed the alliance’s defensive mission and called on Moscow to end its war in Ukraine.
“Putin knows that he can never win from NATO,” Rutte said during a Sept. 30 appearance at the Euronews Defence and Space Summit.
Putin has also maintained that Russia has no plans to attack European countries and wants peaceful coexistence with its neighbors.
Grynkewich did not mention Russia by name during his Warsaw address, but his warning appeared directed at Moscow and with NATO’s 2022 Strategic Concept also identifying Russia as the most significant and direct threat to allied security.
“My theory of victory is simple: we will block the initial attack. If the attack persists, we will blunt it and prevent enemy advance,” Grynkewich said on Monday.
“And if required, we will break the enemy’s forces and the operational warfighting system that is arrayed against us.”
Grynkewich said NATO was already putting the strategy into action through military exercises, enhanced military readiness and investments in new capabilities.
“If attacked, we are ready to fight tonight, but we are not complacent,” he said.
The general made clear that NATO’s response would not necessarily be limited to enemy troops directly involved in an assault, but could extend to the broader military infrastructure enabling the attack.
Meanwhile, Trump has pressed European allies to increase defense spending and has questioned whether countries that fail to meet their obligations should expect US protection.
Grynkewich sought to downplay concerns about Washington’s commitment, recalling Trump’s positive remarks about the alliance during the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands.
“I was in the room and I felt the love,” Grynkewich said of the 2025 event.
“What I want to do is assure the one billion citizens of our alliance that we’ve got this. We know what we need to do. We know how we would do it,” he added.
He also indicated a willingness to discuss suspected hybrid attacks more openly if individual NATO governments wanted him to address their concerns.
“If a nation wants me to, I’m happy to talk about it,” he said.
The Warsaw Security Forum brought together European political and defense leaders as the continent grappled with Russia’s continuing war in Ukraine and the growing threat of confrontation along NATO’s eastern flank.
