Stoltenberg hopes to make progress on Sweden and Finland joining alliance at Madrid summit, but avoids setting deadlines
The NATO summit in Madrid will “transform” the Alliance and mean a “change” in the defense of all its allies. This was stated Monday by the organization’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, who assured that “Russia poses the greatest direct threat to NATO and its values.”
The Russian invasion of Ukraine will be one of the main points to be discussed at the Atlantic Alliance meeting in Madrid. “We need to improve our defenses to protect certain allies,” Stoltenberg said. NATO member states have increased their defense spending and nine of them have already exceeded the 2% target. “That percentage is a floor, not a ceiling,” says the secretary-general.
The organization aims to increase and improve its defense spending, increase its ammunition and fuel supplies, and deploy its air forces. It also wants to increase the speed of deployment of its rapid response forces, for possible intervention in an emergency situation in Eastern Europe. NATO has already increased the troop presence in the Baltic countries, with nearly 40,000 soldiers, and Stoltenberg assures that cooperation with countries like Georgia and Moldova is also “key” to prevent possible aggression by Russia.
The future accession of Sweden and Finland to the organization is one of the main topics of discussion at the summit, a candidacy that clashes with Turkey’s veto. The leaders of the three countries will attend Madrid, but NATO is avoiding setting deadlines for the two countries’ accession process. “We are working at a good pace,” he assured.
Source: La Verdad
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