Moscow, Nov 12 (FN Agency) The United Kingdom and NATO air and missile defense systems must include “offensive element,” Air Chief Marshal Richard Knighton said on Monday. “We should also remember the old dictum that ‘the best form of defence is attack,’” Knighton said at the Royal United Services Institute, as quoted by The Times newspaper. “Ukraine cannot put up a shield to protect themselves against the 30,000 glide bombs lobbed into the Kursk oblast. Instead, what they need — and what we would need — is the ability to strike the aircraft launching these bombs on the ground.” Discussing the prospects for the development of UK and NATO air defense systems as a whole, Knighton stressed that any air defense system “must include an offensive element.”
The Times notes that Knighton’s words could be interpreted as a proposal to allow strikes deep into Russia with Western weapons. In recent years, Russia has been declaring NATO’s unprecedented activity near its western borders. NATO is expanding its initiatives and calling it “containment of Russian aggression.” Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the alliance’s buildup of forces in Europe. The Kremlin has noted that Russia did not threaten anyone, but would not ignore actions that are potentially dangerous to its interests.