EU and NATO strengthen cooperation against Moscow
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and the European Union (EU) are committed to stepping up their cooperation as the war Russia started in Ukraine threatens security in Europe, according to a joint statement released on Monday by the Agence France-Presse was consulted.
“We recognize the value of a stronger and more efficient European defense that contributes positively to global and transatlantic security and that is complementary to NATO and interoperable,” the statement stresses.
It is to be signed on Tuesday by Allianz Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, EU Council President Charles Michel and Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 led to calls for better use of the combined influence of European economic power and US military power. “This is a key moment for Euro-Atlantic security and stability. It calls for closer cooperation between the EU and NATO,” the statement said.
The two organizations pledge to take their partnership “to a higher level” and “to mobilize all the combined tools at our disposal, whether political, economic or military, to pursue our common goals in the interests of our billions of citizens.
21 of the 27 member states of the European Union are already members of NATO. Two others, Sweden and Finland, intend to join them, but Turkey and Hungary remain opposed.
The Alliance has completed the largest defense overhaul since the end of the Cold War, and Washington has deployed more than 100,000 troops to the countries of the Old Continent. The European Allies began spending more on their armies and arming their continent with the strategic infrastructure needed for rapid troop transport.