NATO leaders are expected to agree at an emergency summit on Thursday to boost the alliance’s military presence in eastern Europe due to Russia’s war on Ukraine, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says.
Ahead of the meeting, Stoltenberg told reporters at a news conference in Brussels on Wednesday that he expects the allies to sign off on the deployment of four new battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.
“I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO’s posture in all domains, with major increases in the eastern part of the alliance on land, in the air and at sea,” he said.
With those new battlegroups and existing forces in the Baltic countries and Poland, NATO would have eight multinational groups along the alliance’s eastern flank, Stoltenberg added.
Furthermore, the Ukraine war has shown NATO must reset its deterrence and defence posture for the long term, he said.
“We can’t take peace for granted,” Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg reiterated NATO’s position that the military alliance does not seek a conflict with Russia, and is doing all it can to prevent the war from spilling out of Ukraine.
Thirty countries, including Canada, make up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) but some share a border with Russia.
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However, he expects leaders to agree on further support for Ukraine, which has a right to defend itself.
“Tomorrow, I expect allies will agree to provide additional support including cybersecurity assistance and equipment to protect Ukraine against chemical, biological and radiological and nuclear threats,” Stoltenberg said without providing details on the types of support.
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“NATO will not send the troops into Ukraine. … It is extremely important to provide support to Ukraine and we are stepping up. But at the same time, it is also extremely important to prevent this conflict becoming a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia.”
Thirty countries, including Canada, make up the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).
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He also expects leaders will agree to up support for allies under Russian aggression, like Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Stoltenberg also said NATO leaders will address China’s role in the conflict.
The world’s second-largest economy has yet to denounce Russia’s war on Ukraine, and leaders in the West fear Beijing could offer support to Moscow.
“China has provided Russia with political support, including by spreading blatant lies and misinformation,” Stoltenberg said.
“I expect NATO to call on China to live up to its responsibilities.”
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Furthermore, NATO will target Belarus and will call for it to end its Russian support.
“Belarus continues to aid Russia … (by) letting Russia use Belarusian airspace to launch attacks against Ukraine,” he said.
“Belarus is already heavily involved in the way it’s been complicit and has supported the Russian invasion.”
Russia’s war on Ukraine, which it began almost a month ago on Feb. 24, has stalled along most fronts. Russia has failed to capture a single major Ukrainian city, seize the capital Kyiv, or swiftly topple the government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
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Russia calls the war, which is the biggest attack on a European state since the Second World War, a “special military operation” to disarm Ukraine and protect it from “Nazis.”
The West describes it as a false pretext for an unprovoked war of aggression to subdue a country Russian President Vladimir Putin describes as illegitimate.
Peace talks have been ongoing throughout the war, but have yet to produce any breakthroughs.
Zelenskyy has pleaded for western nations to increase their assistance in the conflict, and will address the NATO summit on Thursday, Stoltenberg said.
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