NATO Defence Ministers concluded a two-day meeting in Brussels on Friday to prepare the Washington Summit in July.
They discussed strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence and support for Ukraine, said a NATO statement.
The ministers agreed on a plan on how NATO will lead the coordination of security assistance and training.
“This will allow NATO leaders to launch this effort at the Washington Summit in July, putting our support to Ukraine on a firmer footing for years to come,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told journalists after the meeting.
“These efforts do not make NATO a party to the conflict, but they will enhance our support to Ukraine to uphold its right to self-defence,” he said.
Defence ministers also agreed on response options for Russia’s actions against Allies.
These include increased intelligence exchange, enhanced protection of critical infrastructure, including undersea and in cyber space, and further restrictions on Russian intelligence operatives, he noted.
On deterrence
and defence, ministers discussed new NATO defence plans, which military planners are translating into concrete requirements for the forces and capabilities needed to defend Allies.
“Allies are offering forces to NATO’s command at a scale not seen in decades. Today we have 500,000 troops at high readiness across all domains, significantly more than the goal that was set at the 2022 Madrid Summit,” said Stoltenberg.
NATO members across Europe and Canada plan to acquire thousands of air defence and artillery systems, 850 modern aircraft, including a lot of other high-end capabilities, added the NATO chief.
Source: Kuwait News Agency