Lt. Gen. Piotr Błazeusz, Poland's military representative to NATO and the European Union, said, however, that Russia could try to create problems and was continuing to escalate through hybrid activities below the threshold of war.
According to Błazeusz, these activities aim partly to weaken Western countries and prepare the ground for possible future actions that would "test the West."
He said the threat to the strategically important Suwałki Gap linking Poland and Lithuania "remains constant and recognisable" both in NATO and the EU.
The importance of the Suwalki Gap stems primarily from its geography and its role in connecting the Baltic states with the rest of NATO territory.
Błazeusz stressed that NATO has defence plans that allow it to adapt quickly if the threat increases or Russia escalates further beyond its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
He also pointed to additional powers given to NATO's Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), which he said allow faster responses to threats before final decisions are made on activating collective defence mechanisms.
According to Błazeusz, NATO should be responsible for the military dimension of defence, while the EU can use other instruments of pressure, including economic sanctions and information measures.
He said closer NATO-EU cooperation could strengthen the West's ability to deter Russia and create strategic dilemmas for Moscow.
Referring to Russian threats against European factories producing weapons for Ukraine, Błazeusz said Western countries should use "more forceful language" when communicating with Moscow.
On Wednesday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, quoted by the Interfax news agency, said European factories producing weapons for Ukraine were potential military targets for Russia.
Błazeusz said political leaders, rather than the military, should use language that Russia understands and that the West should be prepared to accept a certain level of risk while clearly communicating that it has the ability to respond.
His comments came during a closed-door meeting of the European Parliament's Security and Defence Committee in Brussels focused on the Suwałki Gap.
Polish MEP Michał Szczerba invited Błazeusz to the European Parliament. Szczerba is the European Parliament's negotiator on legislation concerning military mobility.
Szczerba said the meeting was intended to underline the importance of security, resilience, infrastructure and military mobility in discussions over the EU's next seven-year budget.
The Suwałki Gap is nestled between northeastern Poland and southern Lithuania. It is flanked on either side by Belarus and Russia's westernmost Kaliningrad region.
(sp/gs)
Source: PAP