Supporting Ukraine at all costs, while strengthening the eastern flank of the Atlantic Alliance and accelerating oversight of essential infrastructure, is essentially the program of the regular NATO ministerial meeting due to begin on Wednesday evening, October 12 in Brussels. NATO is not a party to the conflictJens Stoltenberg, the secretary-general of the military organization, immediately recalled during a press conference on Tuesday. But our support plays an important role. And the allies remain united in their support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and defense. » In addition, the Ukrainian Defense Minister participates in the exchanges of the contact group with Ukraine, which is responsible for finding the weapons to be transferred to the country, and in the dinner of the ministers of the 30 NATO allies.
However, after the massive bombings of October 10 and 11, the United Kingdom requested a summit of the military alliance’s heads of state. “We have already done three this year. If necessary, we will organize another one., was pleased to explain to the Secretary-General. Meanwhile, the former Norwegian Prime Minister recalled that the ministerial meeting “may send a clear message” the unity and determination of the allies towards Russia.
Strengthen border countries
During this meeting, “we will review our progress in strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense”said Mr Stoltenberg. The stakes remain high during the war in Ukraine. At the top of Madrid at the end of June, the alliance had adopted a new strategic defense concept and a new ambition: to create a new fighting force of 300,000 men by 2023, ready to be rapidly deployed and supplemented by European armies. This force, with much of its armament, will be deployed in certain countries, according to NATO’s defense plans.
“We are now executing the new strategy”, let a NATO source know. And the priority since the beginning of Russia’s invasion war in Ukraine has been to strengthen the defense of the countries bordering Russia. Eight battalions have already been positioned from Estonia in the north to Romania in the south. “The whole challenge now is to bring these battalions of about 1,200 men from the various armies of the alliance, in groups of about 3,000 men, closer to the level of a brigade.”says someone at NATO headquarters.
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