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NATO is facing the biggest challenges since World War II, following the start of the Russian occupation of Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on June 29, adding that Moscow posed a direct threat to security. of member countries of the alliance.
At the start of the second day of the NATO summit in Madrid, where the new strategy for the future of the alliance is expected to be approved, Stoltenberg said that the allies will meet in “the time of the most serious crisis”, adding that “The summit will be historic and transformative.”
“We will make it clear that Russia poses a threat to our security“, Said Stoltenberg.
The last update of NATO policies was made in 2010.
Stoltenberg has said he expects swift ratification of the agreement on Sweden and Finland joining the military alliance, following the lifting of the veto by Turkey.
“We will take the decision to invite Sweden and Finland to become members, this is being done with unprecedented speed,” he told reporters from Madrid.
Both countries applied for membership in the alliance in mid-May.
“After the invitation, there must be ratification of the process in all 30 parliaments,” he added.
“It usually takes time, but I expect the process to move quickly, because allied countries are ready to act as soon as possible.”
Turkey agreed on Tuesday to lift its veto on the two countries’ NATO membership, following the signing of commitments by Sweden and Finland to fight terrorism.
Ankara has opposed the two countries ‘membership for several weeks, accusing them of supporting the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and the YPG, a Kurdish militia based in Syria.
Ankara considers both of these organizations as terrorists.
Russian occupation of Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to deliver a speech, via video link, at the summit later in the day.
The war in Ukraine has created a new atmosphere within the Western alliance, after several years of internal disagreements and rising tensions between the United States and Europe, at the time when Donald Trump was president of the United States.
French President Emmanuel Macron mentioned in 2019 that NATO was facing “brain death” as dilemmas grew over the path the alliance was taking.
The chaotic end of the 20-year US-NATO intervention in Afghanistan has had little effect, while the war in Ukraine has emphasized the alliance’s key goal: collective defense.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine “has made even clearer” how important NATO is for the future, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said at the start of the meeting.
On Wednesday, the transatlantic alliance is expected to reach an agreement to position more equipment near Russia, including heavy weapons, increase the number of NATO troops in Eastern Europe and increase the number of high-level troops from 40,000 to 300,000.
NATO allies are still finalizing the composition of the troops to be deployed in Eastern Europe, as some member states want to avoid permanent bases due to high costs.
The Baltics, especially Estonia, have pushed NATO to change tactics after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and to ensure full territorial protection in Eastern Europe.
NATO partner countries in the Indo-Pacific region – Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea – are attending the summit, a sign that the war in Ukraine has received all the attention of the alliance.
NATO member states are planning to show commitment that they will help Ukraine in the long run with equipment, training and modernization of Soviet-era military equipment. Radio Free Europe
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