London, 10 October 2024 (dpa/MIA) - NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte announced on Thursday that the defence alliance's annual military drills involving nuclear weapons will be held on Monday.

"It is vital that we test our defence," he said, and that the alliance's adversaries "know that NATO is ready and is able to respond to any threat."

The new NATO chief was visiting UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer in London when he made the announcement. He also met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky there.

According to Rutte, the exercise called "Steadfast Noon" will involve more than 60 aircraft and take place mainly in the airspace of Britain, the North Sea, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The secretary general praised Britain for the contribution its armed forces bring to the alliance's nuclear deterrent.

NATO did not release any details about the exercise and the scenario that it involves.

According to military experts, the manoeuvres are used to practice how to safely transport US nuclear weapons on European soil from underground storage sites to the aircraft and mount them under the fighter jets. Training flights then take place without the bombs.

NATO's nuclear-sharing agreement provides for US nuclear weapons to be stationed in Europe and to be dropped from aircraft of partner states in the event of an emergency.

Although it has not been officially confirmed, US nuclear weapons are known to be stored in northern Italy, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.

Photo: EPA