NATO will continue to support Ukraine but will not be drawn into the conflict
(Baonghean.vn) - NATO has no plans to engage in military operations in Ukraine but will continue to support Kiev, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin announced.
“Now, let me be clear: NATO is a defensive alliance,” Mr. Austin stressed after the NATO Defense Ministers' Meeting.
Mr Austin added that the military alliance would not be drawn into the conflict. “But we will stand up for Ukraine’s right to self-defense,” he stressed. “We will continue to strengthen the alliance in the face of future challenges, and we will defend the sovereignty and territory of every NATO ally. The United States’ commitment to that mission is steadfast, and so is our commitment to Article 5.”
Article 5 of the 1949 North Atlantic Treaty provides for a collective response to an armed attack on one or more member states of the alliance.
In a related development, speaking after the conclusion of the NATO Defense Ministers' Meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced that the military alliance is starting to implement new military plans, including deploying troops to the border with Russia. According to him, NATO Defense Ministers "mentioned the military alliance's progress in strengthening NATO's defense capabilities."
"At the Vilnius Summit (July 2023), we agreed on the most robust defense plans since the Cold War. We are now taking the next steps. This means allocating the necessary forces, developing new capabilities, adjusting our command and control structures," he said.
Under the new defense plan, NATO plans to maintain 300,000 troops on standby, along with eight battle groups stationed near the Russian border, as well as ammunition, equipment and heavy weapons depots. In addition, the alliance is working to improve logistics efficiency to be able to quickly deploy reinforcements to NATO’s eastern flank, especially from the US and Canada./.