NATO will hold a routine nuclear deterrence drill

NATO Secretary General

said the 30 Alliance countries will hold, next week, "a

that takes place every year to keep our nuclear deterrence safe and effective." The code name

, "constant noon", as opposed to "midnight" which indicates nuclear catastrophe. Held annually and generally lasts a week, it involves jets capable of carrying nuclear warheads but without actually using any bombs. It will be operated by United States, United Kingdom and France. “

a routine exercise, planned for some time, because the war in Ukraine is underway ", explained the secretary general today at a press conference in Brussels, adding that the nuclear rhetoric of the president of the Russian Federation

is" irresponsible "and that Moscow "knows that

and must never be fought".

Stoltenberg then confirmed the Alliance's support in Kiev "as long as necessary", since "military reinforcement" is the best way to "

", he branded the recent

as "a sign of weakness"

and promised that "every attack on an ally's critical infrastructure will be balanced by a unified response from the entire Alliance."