A day before the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members summit to discuss the war in Ukraine, the alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, said that new troops should be sent to Eastern Europe in order to increase forces. military in the allied territories of the region.
“The first step is the launch of new NATO battalions in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia,” he said.
“With our existing forces in the Baltic States and Poland, that means we will have eight NATO battalions on the eastern flank, from the Baltic States to the Black Sea,” Stoltenberg said at a news conference on Wednesday.
According to Stoltenberg, there are already 140,000 NATO troops deployed as a result of the tension in the region, 100,000 of which are from the United States and 40,000 from the NATO command forces. “All with support by sea and air, in addition to forces in the Mediterranean and in the northern area,” he pointed out.
In addition, the secretary general of NATO said that additional support to Ukraine, such as assistance in cyber security and equipment against “nuclear, biological and chemical” weapons could also be discussed during the meeting.
Military support could also be extended to “partners at risk under Russian pressure,” Stoltenberg said, citing Georgia — which was invaded by Russia in 2008 — and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Stoltenberg criticized Putin again, urging him to put an end to the war, but stressed the need to “ensure that [a guerra] do not go beyond Ukraine and turn into a conflict between NATO and Russia.”
China supports Russia “by spreading false information”
NATO’s military reach, however, was not the only point to be highlighted at the pre-summit briefing.
Stoltenberg said he hoped alliance members would pressure China over its stance on Russia, including in the UN Security Council space — where the country remains neutral.
“China questioned with Moscow the independent path of countries. China has offered political support by spreading false information, and our allies are concerned that China may provide material support for the Russian invasion,” the secretary said.
“I hope that the leaders will hold China to its responsibility, including in the Security Council, not to support Russia and join the rest of the world for a peaceful end to the war,” he concluded.
Source: CNN Brasil
I’m James Harper, a highly experienced and accomplished news writer for World Stock Market. I have been writing in the Politics section of the website for over five years, providing readers with up-to-date and insightful information about current events in politics. My work is widely read and respected by many industry professionals as well as laymen.
