NATO is working on plans to place a more permanent military presence on the Russian border in response to the Ukraine invasion.
The military alliance’s “tripwire” presence on its Russian flank, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, could be replaced with a full-scale force to repel an invasion as the world watches in horror at Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“What we see now is a new reality, a new normal for European security,” Stoltenberg said in an April 9 interview with the Telegraph. “Therefore, we have now asked our military commanders to provide options for what we call a reset, a longer-term adaptation of NATO.”
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Such a change will be part of a major “reset” for the alliance, Stoltenberg said. That reset must be accompanied by increased national defense spending by NATO members, many of which continue to pay less than NATO’s minimum expenditure, the secretary-general noted. NATO defense ministers agreed in 2006 to commit a minimum of 2% of their gross domestic product to defense spending in an attempt to ensure military readiness among all 30 members of NATO at the time.
“The [2%] guideline is a minimum guideline, and of course, I welcome every increase in defense spending from all allies,” Stoltenberg added. “Also, of course, those allies who are already spending more than [2%] like the United Kingdom. But of course, my main focus is to ensure that those that are below [2%] meet that minimum guideline.”
While Stoltenberg did not provide additional details on what the reset would entail, he noted that the details of such a change would be discussed at the Madrid NATO summit in June.
“Regardless of when, how, the war in Ukraine ends, the war has already had long-term consequences for our security,” Stoltenberg said. “NATO needs to adapt to that new reality. And that’s exactly what we are doing.”
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a surprise visit to war-torn Ukraine on Saturday. He met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in person. Johnson announced on Friday that the United Kingdom would provide a roughly $130 million aid package to Ukraine that includes anti-aircraft missiles, anti-tank missiles, and other equipment to help bolster the country’s defense against Russia.
The war has increased interest among several European nations to pursue NATO membership. Finland is currently in the fast lane to joining NATO, according to European officials, and is expected to file an application as soon as early May.
