With the exception of nuclear weapons, NATO countries are militarily superior to Russia

Accordingly, NATO countries currently spend about ten times as much money on their armed forces as Russia ($1.19 trillion versus $127 billion). Even without American spending and taking into account the different purchasing power, this dominance remains. “For example, NATO countries have 5,406 combat aircraft (2,073 of which are in Europe), while Russia has only 1,026,” the authors say. Only with strategic bombers does the warring country almost reach the US.

Fewer soldiers, technological slowdown
There is a draw when it comes to nuclear weapons. The military alliance currently dominates the global arms market with more than 70 percent of total sales. Russia also has a technological gap with NATO that can hardly be closed within a decade. According to the study, the defense alliance also has an advantage in terms of the number of armed soldiers and willingness to take action.

Limit nuclear weapons
“Instead of further armaments, NATO’s existing conventional superiority – coupled with the potential for nuclear escalation on the Russian side – should be used as an opportunity to prepare and initiate arms control initiatives that create new confidence and verification of the respective military potential make possible. at least in Europe,” the researchers advise. For example, the New Start Treaty, which limits strategic nuclear weapons, must be saved.

The study was written by peace researcher Christopher Steinmetz and Herbert Wulf, who worked at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI).