NATO leaders should agree to deploy four new battlegroups on the alliance’s eastern flank to bolster their defenses in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
At Thursday’s summit in Brussels, the leaders will agree on troop deployments in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
“I expect leaders to agree to strengthen NATO’s position in all areas, while significantly expanding the eastern part of the alliance on land, air and sea,” Stoltenberg said on the eve of an urgent NATO summit on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The NATO chief also promised to provide additional support to Ukraine in the fight against chemical and nuclear threats as it fights Russian invading forces.
“I expect Allies to agree tomorrow to provide additional support, including cybersecurity assistance, as well as equipment that will help Ukraine defend itself against chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats,” Stoltenberg said.
Vladimir Putin has been accused of using banned white phosphorus weapons in Ukraine amid fears he could be on the verge of using chemical weapons.
Stoltenberg also accused China of politically supporting Russia with “blatant lies” during its attack on Ukraine and warned Beijing against providing material support to Moscow’s war effort.
At Thursday’s summit in Brussels, the leaders will agree on troop deployments in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. Pictured: A French army tank at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base near Constanta, Romania, on March 3.
A residential building after a missile attack against the backdrop of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in Kramatorsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on March 18.
The NATO chief also promised to provide additional support to Ukraine in dealing with chemical and nuclear threats as it battles Russia’s invading forces.
“China has provided Russia with political support, including through the spread of outright lies and disinformation, and allies are concerned that China may provide material support for the Russian invasion,” the NATO head said.
“I expect leaders to call on China to fulfill its duties as a member of the UN Security Council, refrain from supporting Russia’s military actions, and join the rest of the world in calling for an immediate peaceful end to this war.”
China, which has neither condemned the Russian invasion nor criticized Western sanctions, came to Moscow’s defense on Wednesday, calling Russia an “important member” of the G20 after Washington raised the issue of excluding Moscow from the group.
US President Joe Biden last week warned his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping of the “consequences” if Beijing backs Russia during its invasion of Ukraine.
Jinping and Putin earlier this year declared a “borderless relationship” following the Russian president’s visit to Beijing for the Winter Olympics.
Stoltenberg also accused China of politically supporting Russia during its attack on Ukraine and warned Beijing against providing material support to Moscow’s war effort. Pictured: Russian President Vladimir Putin (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) during a ceremony at Tsinghua University’s Friendship Palace in 2019 in Beijing, China.
Meanwhile, Stoltenberg said the deployment of new NATO battlegroups in Bulgaria, Slovakia, Romania and Hungary, as well as existing forces in the Baltic states and Poland, means that NATO will have eight multinational groups on the alliance’s eastern flank.
Stoltenberg said the Ukraine crisis showed that NATO needed to rethink its deterrence and defense postures for the long term.
Meanwhile, Russia refuses to rule out the use of nuclear weapons if it faces an “existential threat,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN.
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby criticized Moscow’s “dangerous” rhetoric, and Biden warned en route to Europe that Russia could also use chemical weapons in Ukraine as a deterrent to ground offensives.
“Our military and citizens are holding up with superhuman courage,” Zelensky’s top adviser Andriy Yermak said as Biden traveled to the NATO, G7 and European Union summits in Brussels.
“But we cannot win the war without offensive weapons, without medium-range missiles that can be a deterrent,” Yermak said.
On Wednesday, NATO warned that Russia’s war in Ukraine could escalate into a nuclear confrontation between Moscow and the West.
Spanish soldiers stand in front of a Spanish Air Force Eurofighter EF-2000 Typhoon II fighter jet during a joint task to secure the airspace of the Bulgarian and Spanish Air Forces February 17 in Bulgaria.
“Russia must stop this dangerous irresponsible nuclear rhetoric,” Stoltenberg said. “But let there be no doubt about our readiness to defend and protect allies from any threat at any time.
“Russia must understand that it can never win a nuclear war,” he said on the eve of a summit of national leaders of the Western military alliance in Brussels. “NATO is not part of the conflict… it provides support to Ukraine, but it is not part of the conflict.”
“NATO will not send troops to Ukraine… It is essential to support Ukraine and we are stepping up efforts. But at the same time, it is also crucial to prevent this conflict from escalating into a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia.
The Ukrainian authorities have accused Putin of using white phosphorus munitions in Kramatorsk.
Although this substance is not strictly considered a chemical weapon, it burns violently and can cause horrific injuries, and its use against civilians is a war crime.
Human Rights Watch states that incendiary weapons are “among the most brutal” in modern warfare, as they cause “human suffering for life”.
Oleksiy Biloshitsky, deputy chief of police in Kyiv, wrote on Facebook: “Another use of phosphorus munitions in Kramatorsk.”
He shared a video of a burning chemical-like substance that Russian troops are already accused of using in the cities of Lutsk and Popasna.
“What we are seeing is an almost desperate attempt by the Russians to gain momentum and try to turn the tide of events in their favor,” a Defense Department spokesman said.
Stoltenberg also said today that Belarus was “involved” in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine before it even started, allowing its territory to be used for troop concentration, and continues to facilitate the invasion.
At a press conference on the eve of the NATO summit in Brussels, he said that Belarus also allowed Russian forces to use its military airfields to strike Ukrainian cities and civilians.
Meanwhile, Ukraine has turned to the West for more military aid ahead of the NATO summit, warning that nearly 100,000 people are trapped by Russian bombing and face starvation in the ruins of the besieged port of Mariupol.
According to Human Rights Watch, tens of thousands of residents have already fled the southern city, bringing heartbreaking testimonies of “a hellish cold riddled with corpses and ruined buildings.”
When the UN pressed Russia to end its “no-win” war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told the Japanese parliament that the UN Security Council was dysfunctional and needed reform after Russia used its veto power to reverse condemnation of its invasion.
Nearly a month later, peace talks have agreed on daily humanitarian corridors for refugees, and Ukraine says it is ready to meet some of Russia’s demands, subject to a nationwide referendum.
But she refused to bow to Russian pressure to disarm and abandon all Western alliances, and Zelenskiy was also scheduled to speak Thursday at a NATO meeting in Brussels, joined by US President Joe Biden.
Ukraine’s lead negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said the peace talks faced “significant difficulties” after Moscow accused the United States of undermining the process.
Western leaders are increasingly concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use chemical weapons or otherwise use tactics in four weeks to launch an invasion in which his forces have failed to capture a single major Ukrainian city.
Leaving the White House on Wednesday, Biden said Russia’s use of chemical weapons in Ukraine was a risk.
“I think this is a real threat,” he said.
Biden and his team are developing plans to impose sanctions on members of the Duma, Russia’s parliament, in retaliation for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, two people familiar with the situation said. The sanctions are expected to be announced on Thursday.
A White House spokesman said that “final decisions about who and how much we will sanction have not yet been made.”
“We will have the opportunity to announce additional sanctions measures that will be implemented jointly with our allies on Thursday, when the President has the opportunity to speak with them,” the official said.
On Thursday, Biden will attend an emergency NATO summit, meet G7 leaders and address 27 European Union leaders at a European Council meeting, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday.
He said Biden would coordinate the next phase of military assistance to Ukraine.
In addition to imposing new sanctions on Russia, Sullivan said Biden will work with U.S. allies to tighten existing sanctions to “crush evasion and ensure they are strictly enforced.”
In recent days, Russia and Western governments have exchanged accusations about the possibility of using chemical weapons in Ukraine, but have not provided evidence to support their fears.
Biden promised not to come into direct conflict with Russia, but promised that the United States would defend all of NATO territory. He ordered an increase in the number of American troops on NATO’s eastern flank to calm irritated allies.
During the NATO member’s visit to Poland, Biden will visit US troops and meet with experts involved in the humanitarian response to help hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians who have fled their country and those who remain.