I'm John Batch with my colleague Anito Leaven of the Quincy Institute of Responsible

State Craft.

From the Telegraph, NATO members will send 90,000 troops to the Alliance's largest military

exercise since the Cold War ended.

Britain is deploying 20,000 soldiers to Operation Steadfast Defender 2024, which will start next week and will

continue until the end of May.

This is the Telegraph reporting.

Anatole, this looks provocative given that we've just been talking about peace negotiations in Ukraine.

It is the allegation of Mr. Putin and the Kremlin since, oh years, but certainly since the beginning of the conflict

in Ukraine that he's at war with NATO, that Russia's at war with NATO, not with Ukraine,

and that the invasion of Ukraine was in fact a defensive gesture.

This is the story that is told to the Russian people as he, as Mr. Putin goes for re-election.

How do you regard this NATO exercise,

90,000 troops exercises in Germany,

Poland, and the Baltic states?

Is this guaranteeing that there will not be successful peace talks?

No, I don't think so.

After all, these exercises are taking place, you know, on NATO territory, not in Ukraine.

I mean, that was obviously, well, that point directly towards war.

And it is necessary, at least for political reasons, to reassure the boards and the polls,

that NATO will defend them, as they are NATO members, if there is a Russian attack.

Now, I don't believe, contrary to so much of the reporting, that there is any serious danger

...