The Atlantic Alliance will increase the allied presence, with 100 planes, ships on alert and sending more troops to the eastern flank
The Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, calls a virtual summit of leaders for this Friday
In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the North Atlantic Council has decided to activate this Thursday collective defense plan with the aim of dissuading Russia from its military plans and shielding allied countries. As announced by the NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenbergthe allies will keep on alert 100 planes to protect European airspace, they will deploy more than 120 ships and they will send more troops on the eastern flank. “All this shows that our commitment to collective defense of Article 5 is strong. We will continue to do whatever is necessary to protect the Alliance from aggression,” he warned, condemning the “brutal act of war” committed by Russia.
Stoltenberg has also announced the extraordinary call of one virtual summit of the 30 leaders of the Atlantic Alliance for this Friday with the aim of evaluating the next steps to take in the crisis caused by the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, although he has explained that the allied countries neither have troops in Ukraine -which is not a NATO member country- nor do they intend to send them. “We have no plans to send troops to Ukraine but we are prepared to protect all European allies & rdquor ;, he has said stressing that Russia it faces a forceful response from the entire international community if it goes ahead with its plans to reinstate its sphere of influence and breaks international rules.
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The European leader has also insisted that the attack has not surprised the Alliance headquarters. Western intelligence services have been anticipating an aggression for months and that is why “in recent months and weeks we have significantly increased our presence of NATO troops in the eastern part, with more ground forces but also naval and air forces, and in the coming days and weeks there will be more”, he announced, insisting that it is a “defensive” adjustment, because the allied countries do not seek “confrontation”, and that the objective is to avoid a conflict and an attack against a NATO country.
“This is the new normal for our security. Peace cannot be taken for granted. Freedom and democracy are contested by authoritarian regimes and strategic competition is on the rise” so “we must respond with a renewed resolution and an even stronger unity, North America and Europe together in NATO & rdquor ;, he claimed after the meeting of the Atlantic council that has held consultations under article 4 of the NATO Treatyat the request of the Baltic countries, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania and Slovakia, and which allows consultation on military matters when the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the parties is threatened.