MADRID –
An unstable world could become even more dangerous if NATO does not remain strong and united, the alliance’s leader said Thursday at the end of a summit at which Western leaders described Russia as a “direct threat” to the security of their nations.
During their three-day meeting in Madrid, NATO members faced a geopolitical landscape marked by competition from major powers and countless threats, from cyberattacks to climate change. Leaders turned to the world — reprimanding them after accusing China of “serious challenges” to global stability. But Russia’s invasion of Ukraine dominated the summit.
“We live in a more dangerous world and we live in a more unpredictable world and we live in a world where there is a hot war in Europe,” said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. “At the same time, we also know that this could get worse.”
That is why the Western military alliance has the “primary responsibility” to protect the war in Ukraine from spills in other countries, while making it clear to Moscow that it will “protect every inch of NATO territory,” Stoltenberg said.
This area will grow. At the summit, NATO leaders formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance after reaching an agreement to end Turkey’s opposition. However, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he could still block Scandinavian membership if the Scandinavian couple does not keep its promises.
If accession is approved by all 30 member states, it will give NATO a new 800-mile (1,300-kilometer) border with Russia.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that he will respond in kind if Sweden or Finland agree to accept NATO troops and military infrastructure. He said Russia would have to “create the same threats to the territory from which the threats against us are created.”
Estonian Prime Minister Kaya Kallas said Putin’s threats were “nothing new”.
“Of course, we should expect some surprises from Putin, but I doubt he is attacking Sweden or Finland directly,” Callas said.
NATO leaders turned their attention to a recent summit on Thursday focusing on the Sahel region and the Middle East, where political instability – exacerbated by climate change and food insecurity caused by the war in Ukraine – is driving large numbers of migrants to Europe. .
The United States and other Western nations are also seeking to offset China and Russia’s growing influence in the developing world. Stoltenberg said “Moscow and Beijing are using economic leverage, coercion and hybrid approaches to pursue their interests in the region.”
The Beijing government called the alliance a “remnant of the Cold War” and accused it of “maliciously attacking and denigrating” China by including it on NATO’s list of global challenges.
But Stoltenberg said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine had led to “the greatest overhaul of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War.” In response, NATO has invaded Eastern Europe with troops and weapons on an unprecedented scale.
NATO leaders agreed at a summit in Madrid to drastically increase military forces on the alliance’s eastern flank, where countries from Romania to the Baltic states are worried about Russia’s future plans.
NATO has announced plans to increase the alliance’s rapid reaction force by almost eight times from 40,000 to 300,000 troops by next year – although the details of the troop’s specific commitments remain unclear.
Most of the troops will be based in their home nations, but destined for specific countries in the east, where the alliance plans to stockpile equipment and ammunition.
Member States have given billions of military and civilian aid to Ukraine to boost its resistance. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who addressed the summit via video link, asked for more.
He called on NATO to send modern artillery systems and other weapons – or “to face a postponed war between Russia and you.”
“The question is who is next? Moldova? Or the Baltics? Or Poland? The answer is: everyone,” he said.
US President Joe Biden, whose country provides most of NATO’s firepower, has announced a significant increase in the US military presence in Europe, including a permanent US base in Poland, two more Spanish naval destroyers, and more. two F35 squadrons in the UK
“Before the war, I told Putin that if he invaded Ukraine, NATO would not only become stronger, but also more united,” Biden told reporters. “And we will see how the world’s democracies stand up and oppose its aggression and defend the rule of law. That is exactly what we see today.”
Still, tensions among NATO allies have risen as the price of energy and other basic necessities has skyrocketed, in part because of the war and tough Western sanctions against Russia. There are also tensions over how the war will end and what concessions, if any, Ukraine must make.
Money remains a sensitive issue – only nine of NATO’s 30 members currently meet the organisation’s goal of spending 2% of gross domestic product on defense.
Britain, one of nine, announced another £ 1bn ($ 1.21 billion) in military support for Ukraine on Thursday. Prime Minister Boris Johnson has said the UK will increase military spending to 2.5% of GDP by the end of the decade. Host country Spain, one of the lowest spending in the alliance, is aiming to reach the 2% target by 2029, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said.
The summit also produced a new strategic concept, a set of NATO priorities and goals once a decade.
The latest such document from 2010 called Russia a “strategic partner.” NATO now accuses Russia of using “coercion, subversion, aggression and annexation” to expand its reach.
The 2010 document does not mention China, but in Beijing’s new growing economic and military reach, it is a challenge for NATO members.
NATO said China “seeks to undermine the rules of international order, including in space, cyber and maritime areas” and warned of its close ties with Moscow.
China responded that NATO was “creating problems around the world.”
“As NATO positions China as a ‘systemic challenge’, we need to pay close attention and respond in a coordinated way. “When it comes to actions that undermine China’s interests, we will give a firm and strong response,” a statement from the Beijing mission told the European Union.
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Associated Press writer Aritz Para from Madrid contributed.
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