NATO ready for long-term defense of eastern border: ‘Putin fails to close our doors’ | Abroad

Germany, Norway and the Netherlands (three armored howitzers) have already made pledges on the fringes of the summit, following a new call from President Volodimir Zelenski to deliver quickly. Prime Minister Mark Rutte endorses his appeal: ,,We must now supply weapons, heavy weapons, and as quickly as possible. This is a key moment in the war.”

As far as he is concerned, every NATO country should look at what it can still deliver. Minister Wopke Hoekstra (Foreign Affairs) explained why: ,,Zelenski painted the picture that things are not going well, Ukraine is giving up more and more ground. They have always fought with great bravery, but that is no longer enough. Ukraine is vastly outnumbered by Russia in arms arsenal, 15 to one. The war is currently being fought with heavy artillery, which is the kind of weapons Ukraine needs.”

In an instant, the leaders, accompanied by their foreign and defense ministers, decided their eighth battlegroups along the Russian border. In addition, NATO brings air defence, weapons, ammunition and fuel to countries bordering Russia, so that in the event of aggression, no time is lost with transport.

The third component of what Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg calls a “fundamental shift” in NATO deterrence and defense is the expansion and increased preparedness of NATO’s response force to more than 300,000 men. Army units remain in their own country, but are assigned fixed areas in Eastern Europe, where they regularly travel for reconnaissance and training with local forces. Germany, for example, is already designating a special brigade for Lithuania.

This approach, with pre-designated forces to defend a particular ally, hadn’t happened since the Cold War. The Netherlands, according to Minister Kajsa Ollongren (Defence), will work together with Germany to find out how much it can contribute to the expansion of the reaction force. ,,We have men and equipment, but we will need more. That is why we will be hiring and training more people at Defense.”

According to Ollongren, the plan to expand the reaction force had been in place for some time, the exact size was unknown. “Stoltenberg has now translated that into numbers, but he did not surprise us with that.”

No details have been released about the defense of newcomers Finland and Sweden, welcome as members now that Turkey has swallowed its objections, but the final communiqué says their security is “of direct concern to the alliance, including during the accession period”. In the same communiqué, Russia is frequently mentioned as an aggressor.

In the new strategic concept, a blueprint for NATO action over a ten-year period, it is relegated from ‘strategic partner’ to ‘greatest threat to the NATO area’. Stoltenberg recalled that Russia was even present (as a partner country) at the Lisbon summit where the previous strategic concept was established. He himself was there as Norwegian Prime Minister at the time.

The tenor at the summit was that, despite concerns about his military advance, Putin has accomplished little with his military aggression. US President Joe Biden said, referring to the arrival of two new member states: “He wanted to Finlandize Europe. What he is getting now is the ‘Natoization’ of Europe.”

Stoltenberg: ,,Putin has failed to close the doors of NATO. Those remain open. Each sovereign country decides for itself whether to apply for accession.”

Russia may be the greatest threat to NATO, but there are also concerns about China, which, with its rapid expansion of military potential, will be given a place in the strategic concept for the first time as a ‘challenge’. That NATO does not neglect its far southeast flank is evidenced by the summit presence of the leaders of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. Rutte, about China: “Let’s not be naive.”

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