Stoltenberg: NATO troops will be in Romania as long as necessary. 40,000 soldiers Okayed on the Eastern flank

Latest news: NATO leaders have extended the mandate of Jens Stoltenberg as NATO Secretary General by one more year, till September 30, 2023.

The Allies thanked the Secretary-General for his leadership and dedication, especially at this critical time for international security, according to a message posted on NATO’s official website.

Stoltenberg’s second term as NATO Secretary General was due to end on October 1, after which he was appointed Governor of the Norwegian Central Bank in February 2022. Only 20 days later he resigned from this position, continuing as the general secretary of NATO.

An extraordinary Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government is taking place in Brussels on Thursday, with US President Joe Biden attending and with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressing the leaders by video conference.

In his speech NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that we are facing “the most serious security crisis in a generation,” announcing further support to Ukraine and enforcement of the Alliance’s military presence on the Eastern flank, by setting up the announced four additional battlegroups in four NATO states: Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia. More precisely, the NATO leader agreed to send 40,000 soldiers on the Eastern flank, together with air and navy equipment.

“The leaders will focus on our support to Ukraine. Allies have provided support to Ukraine for several years and we have stepped up with more military support, financial support, humanitarian support to help Ukraine uphold its fundamental right for self-defence. NATO’s core task is to protect and defend all Allies. We have increased our military presence in the eastern part of the Alliance.

The NATO leaders will today address the need for a reset of our deterrence and defence in the longer term. And the first step is the establishment of four new battlegroups in the eastern part of the Alliance in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia,” Stoltenberg stated.

Asked if what is NATO’s view regarding possible permanent NATO bases, presence, in Romania, given the conflict in Ukraine, Stoltenberg replied that the troops will remain in Romania as long as it is necessary.

“NATO has already increased its military presence in Romania. We have deployed the elements of the high readiness joint task force led by France. I visited Romania a few weeks ago and I also met with the troops from the United States and from other countries, and they will demonstrate the commitment to stay and to protect and help to defend NATO territory also in Romania. These troops will be there as long as necessary. But this is part of the immediate response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Then I expect at the meeting today that the leaders will start the process that will provide us with advice to make more longer term decisions on our longer term deterrence and defence, because we need to reset our deterrence and defence. These decisions, I expect leaders to take them at the summit later on in June. So these are two different processes, one is what we already have done, and that will be there as long as necessary. And then we are addressing the more longer term changes in our deterrence and defence. The fact is that we face the most serious security crisis in a generation and therefore NATO needs to respond. And that’s the reason why we need to reset our deterrence and defence for the long term.”

Answering a question about Russian President Putin’s mental state, Stoltenberg said that NATO is ready to respond to any form of attack.

“President Putin has made a big mistake and that is to launch a war, to wage war, against an independent sovereign nation. He has underestimated the strength of the Ukrainian people, the bravery of the Ukrainian people and the armed forces, and therefore they’re also meeting much more resistance than they expected. We need, in a way, to address the actions that we see Russia is doing in Ukraine. And that’s also the reason why we have significantly stepped up the support to Ukraine, and why we have increased the presence of NATO troops in the eastern part of the Alliance and increased the readiness of our troops. We do so to be able to respond and address any threat, any challenge to our security, and what kind of decisions… and what kind of decisions they make in Moscow, I will not speculate further about that.”

NATO Head reiterated that the Alliance had provided and is providing significant military support to Ukraine, but will not send NATO troops on the ground and will not impose a no-fly zone.

“NATO Allies provide significant military support to Ukraine. NATO Allies have trained tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers who are now on the front line fighting against the invading Russian forces. The Ukrainian army is much better equipped, much better trained, much better commanded now than in 2014. And the combination of the training and support from NATO Allied countries with the bravery and the courage of the Ukrainian Armed Forces is enabling the Ukrainians to really resist and actually fight back the invading Russian Army. We provide Ukraine also with advanced air defence systems, with anti-tank weapons, with ammunition and fuel. So Allies are providing many different types of support. But we have also made it clear that we will not send in NATO troops on the ground, or NATO planes in the air. We do that because we have a responsibility to ensure that this conflict does not escalate beyond Ukraine. That will cause even more suffering, even more death, even more destruction. And to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine means that we need to impose it, and to impose a no-fly zone means that we need to massively attack Russian air defence systems in Russia, in Belarus and in Ukraine, and also be ready to shoot down Russian planes. And then the risk for a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia will be very high, and that will cause more deaths and more destruction.”

Questioned if a chemical weapon attack will be considered an attack on a NATO Ally, Stoltenberg said that any use of chemical weapons would fundamentally change the nature of the conflict.

“I will not speculate beyond saying the following, that any use of chemical weapons would fundamentally change the nature of the conflict. It will be a blatant violation of international law and it will have widespread and severe consequences. The seriousness of using chemical weapons of course becomes even more obvious knowing that there is a risk always for contamination, for that chemical agents are spread over bigger areas. So this will be a catastrophe for the people of Ukraine, but of course there is also a risk that we can see the spread of chemical agents also into NATO territory. I will not speculate beyond the fact that NATO is always ready to defend, to protect and to react to any type of attack on a NATO Allied country.”

On the other hand, NATO chief called on China to join the rest of the countries condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

“We call on China to join the rest of the world in clearly condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine and not provide political support. And of course, neither provide any kind of material support to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”

Biden supports the increase of troops on the eastern flank

US President Joe Biden has told leaders at the NATO summit that he supports the increase in troops on the eastern flank of the alliance, according to a government official quoted by Reuters.

Other sources disclosed that the United States plans to accept up to 100,000 Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. Not all of the accepted Ukrainians will come through the US refugee programme, one Biden administration official has though said. Others will come on family-based visas or another process known as humanitarian parole.

NATO deputy chief Mircea Geoana: Russia has no resources to do anything against NATO countries

NATO deputy secretary genera, Romanian Mircea Geoana said in an interview before the summit to Digi FM that Russia is already trapped in the invasion it has launched in Ukraine and no longer has the resources to do anything against some NATO countries.

According to him, there are no military intentions of Russia against the Republic of Moldova or Georgia, but these countries are facing other “considerable” pressures from Moscow, and for this they must be helped by the West. “There are countries that, even if they are not at imminent risk of Russian military intervention, are suffering from a political, economic and humanitarian point of view,” Mircea Geoana explained.

The conflict in Ukraine is creating a lot of human drama, but there are no military risks to Romania, NATO Deputy Secretary General assured. There is no reason to panic, the official said.

Zelenskiy calls for Nato military aid ‘without restrictions’

He thanked NATO members for the defensive equipment provided to Ukraine so far, but appealed for offensive weapons. “You can give us 1% of all your planes. 1% of your tanks. One percent!”

The Ukrainian leader also accused Russia of deploying phosphorus weapons, without providing evidence or details.

Kremlin accuses NATO of “hysterical and inadequate understanding” of war in Ukraine

In retort, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov accuses most NATO states of “suffering from a hysterical and inadequate understanding” of the war in Ukraine.

One month after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which the Kremlin still called a “special military operation”, Dmitry Peskov said most NATO states “suffer from a hysterical and inadequate understanding” of what is happening.

Polish PM: If he crushes Ukraine, Putin will advance to Helsinki, Warsaw, Bucharest

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in Warsaw on Thursday that Russia had become a “totalitarian state” and called for tougher sanctions against Moscow. Helsinki, Warsaw, Bucharest, maybe even Berlin.

“We are living in a decisive moment. If Putin crushes Ukraine, if he crushes our desire to fight, of economic struggle, he will advance, in a year or two, to other goals. It will advance to Helsinki, Warsaw, Bucharest, maybe even Berlin. Germany needs to think well,” Morawiecki stated.

In his view, Western sanctions are “unprecedented, go a long way, but are insufficient,” reminding the reopening of the Moscow Stock Exchange on Thursday, the resumption of Russian bond trading and the strengthening of the ruble.