NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with The Telegraph today that the alliance is developing plans to establish a permanent military presence on its eastern borders.
According to him, NATO is currently “in the midst of a very fundamental transformation” which will reflect “the long-term consequences” of Moscow’s military operation in Ukraine.
Likewise, Stoltenberg stated that the Alliance is already stationed 40,000 soldiers on its eastern borders, a number that practically multiplied tenfold the number of troops in the area prior to the operation.
“What we see now is a new reality, a new normal for European security. That is why we have now asked our military commanders to offer options for what we call a reset, a long-term adjustment of NATO,” he said.
“I hope that the NATO leaders will make decisions on this when they meet at the June summit in Madrid,” Stoltenberg said.
Increased military aid to Ukraine
In the midst of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, not only have the NATO countries started to expand the military sector more intensively, but the foreign ministers of the NATO countries also agreed in Brussels at the end of March to increase military aid to Ukraine to deal with the conflict Russia.
British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss summed up the outcome of the summit in the Belgian capital as follows: “We agreed to step up support to Ukraine and we also recognized that the conflict had entered a new and different phase with the Russian offensive more focused. […]
“We have agreed that the countries will deliver new equipment and heavier to Ukraine to respond to these new threats from Russia. We have agreed to help the Ukrainian Armed Forces transition from their Soviet-era equipment to NATO-standard equipment.”
unwavering support
Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson promised the day before “unwavering support” to Ukraine during his surprise meeting with the country’s President Vladimir Zelensky, which took place in Kyiv.
Boris Johnson arrives in Kyiv unannounced and meets with Vladimir Zelensky
According to the official statement, the British politician agreed to provide Ukraine with new military assistance to deal with Moscow’s military operation, consisting of aid 120 armored vehicles and new anti-ship missile systems.
It is specified that the new aid package will be added to the £100 million (more than $130 million) announced the previous day, which included Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles, 800 anti-tank missiles and high-tech ammunition for precision strikes.
Johnson also guaranteed Kyiv Another $500 million in World Bank loans, bringing the UK’s total loan guarantee to $1 billion. The new amount comes on top of the £394 million (about US$513.6 million) that London has already made available to Ukraine in grants to ensure “the continued operation of vital humanitarian services” for its citizens. (RT News)