- Madrid summit to adapt NATO’s position towards Russia
- Change driven by the Russian invasion of Ukraine
- New strategic document to call Russia a “direct threat”
BRUSSELS, June 27 (Reuters) – NATO will massively increase the number of troops in high readiness to more than 300,000, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Monday, with allies ready to adopt a new strategy describing Moscow as a direct threat four months after the war in Ukraine.
“Russia has distanced itself from the partnership and dialogue that NATO has been trying to establish with Russia for many years,” Stoltenberg said in Brussels ahead of a NATO summit this week in Madrid.
“They have chosen confrontation instead of dialogue. We are sorry, but of course, then we must respond to this reality,” he told reporters.
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The June 28-29 summit comes at a key time for the alliance after the failures in Afghanistan and internal discord during the time of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who threatened to remove Washington from the alliance. Read more
But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February has brought about a geopolitical shift, which has led formerly neutral countries Finland and Sweden to apply to join NATO and Ukraine to secure the status of Russia. candidate to join the European Union.
Stoltenberg said NATO would transform its existing rapid reaction force, the NATO Response Force, which already has about 40,000 troops in high readiness, and raise the total number to “well over 300,000.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speaks at a press conference ahead of a NATO summit in Madrid at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, on June 27. of 2022. REUTERS / Johanna Geron
The move is part of NATO’s work on a new force structure that will likely see national troops put on different alert levels, so the alliance will have more forces ready for ready combat in the event of a crisis.
At the summit, NATO will also change its language on Russia from the current wording, devoted to the Lisbon summit in 2010, describing Moscow as a strategic partner.
“I hope the Allies make it clear that Russia poses a direct threat to our security, our values and rules-based international order,” Stoltenberg said.
NATO combat units on the eastern flank of the alliance, especially in the Baltics, are to be increased to brigade level, with thousands of pre-assigned troops waiting in more western countries such as Germany as reinforcements. fast, he added.
“Overall, this constitutes the biggest overhaul of our collective deterrence and defense since the Cold War,” he said.
At the same time, Stoltenberg dashed hopes of a breakthrough at the summit to overcome Turkey’s opposition to Sweden’s and Finland’s bids to join.
“I will not make any promises or speculate on any specific timeline. The summit has never been a deadline,” said Stoltenberg, who plans to meet with the leaders of the three countries on Tuesday in Madrid.
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Report by Sabine Siebold and Marine Strauss, edited by Mark Heinrich
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