NATO leaders are planning to deploy battle groups in Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia and Hungary, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.
Thus, there will be a total of eight battle groups on NATO’s eastern flank.
In all, 40,000 soldiers are now under direct NATO command, up from just 4,000 a few months ago.
– There are now 100,000 American soldiers in Europe, Stoltenberg said at the press conference where he was also clear that the alliance was afraid of ending up in a direct conflict with Russia.
– We will do everything to support Ukraine, but we have a responsibility to ensure that the war does not escalate beyond Ukraine and becomes a conflict between NATO and Russia. It will lead to even more death and destruction, Stoltenberg said.
It may disappoint Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj to speak at the NATO summit. He has asked NATO to get directly involved and close the airspace over Ukraine.
Stoltenberg also issued a stern warning against the use of chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine.
– Any use of chemical weapons will totally change the nature of the conflict. And it will be a gross violation of international law, and it will have far-reaching consequences.
NATO and the United States have repeatedly warned that Russia could use chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces and civilians.
Stoltenberg was also asked by British Sky News about how NATO defends itself against a nuclear attack.
– Russia must understand that a nuclear war will never be fought and that they can never win a nuclear war, the NATO Secretary General replied before reiterating the importance of ending the war before it became even more deadly.
The extraordinary NATO meeting in Brussels will also coordinate the Western countries’ response to Russia in the war, which has now been going on for another month.
The United States is pushing for further sanctions
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter when the meeting was announced on March 15:
– We will address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, our strong support for the country and a further strengthening of NATO’s deterrence and defense. At this critical time, North America and Europe must continue to stand together.
Prior to the meeting, US President Joe Biden had talks with the head of state in Germany, Italy, France and the United Kingdom.
According to CNN, the goal may be to unite European leaders behind tougher sanctions against Russia and Russian oligarchs, increased military and financial support for Ukraine.
Warns NATO
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday, according to Reuters, that if Western countries send peacekeeping forces to Ukraine, it could lead to a direct confrontation between Russia and the NATO defense alliance.
Poland has previously said it will propose sending peacekeepers to Ukraine, according to Reuters. On Wednesday, Poland also decided to expel 45 Russian diplomats. The Foreign Ministry in Moscow says they will retaliate against the deportations, according to the Russian news agency Ria.
According to CNN, US President Joe Biden will visit Poland on Friday after tomorrow’s NATO summit.
Decides strengthening in June
Jens Stoltenberg told NRK a week ago that the alliance has asked its military leaders to provide advice and suggestions on how to carry out a lasting strengthening of NATO.
“Then we will make decisions at the NATO summit at the end of June,” he said. In that case, it will be in addition to the strengthening that has already taken place in the NATO countries in Eastern Europe.
NATO has implemented a number of measures as an immediate response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. With more forces on the ground, with more planes in the air, more ships on the oceans. NATO chief Stoltenberg has also visited German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin and returned with a message that the German chancellor sees a time difference in Europe. After Russia’s invasion, Germany decided to spend 100 billion euros more on defense this year.
Warns against dirty war
During a conversation, the German Chancellor also reportedly warned Russian President Vladimir Putin not to use biological or chemical weapons in Ukraine. Britain has previously warned Russia about the same.
The biggest fear is if Russia uses its large arsenal of nuclear weapons.
“Russia will only use nuclear weapons in connection with the Ukraine conflict if the country experiences an existential threat,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN on Tuesday.
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