NATO Will Not Tolerate Hybrid Actions Against Members, US Envoy Says

NATO members should not accept deliberate hybrid actions, and the United States will stand behind them as they respond, US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said on Saturday.

Whitaker pointed to last month’s attempted drone attack at Germany’s Leipzig/Halle Airport, which Berlin blamed on Russia. He said the incident was more concerning than other recent events involving Russian drones targeting Ukraine that strayed off course.

“Then you have what I would call the more concerning hybrid actions like we saw in Leipzig, like we have seen in Poland,” Whitaker said on the sidelines of a business conference in Italy.

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Then you have what I would call the more concerning hybrid actions like we saw in Leipzig, like we have seen in Poland.

He said NATO members needed to remain prepared and vigilant, while sending a strong message when challenged by such incidents. “If we can identify who’s doing it, which Germany did, we make sure we express strongly that is unacceptable, and we will not tolerate it,” he said.

Whitaker added that critical infrastructure, including energy assets, could be targeted and should be monitored by national authorities. He said the response would primarily be national, but the United States supported countries dealing with such acts.

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If we can identify who's doing it, which Germany did, we make sure we express strongly that is unacceptable, and we will not tolerate it.