MADRID –
NATO faced criticism from Moscow and Beijing on Thursday after declaring Russia a “direct threat” and saying China posed “serious challenges” to global stability.
During a summit in Madrid, the Western military alliance described a world in a dangerous phase of great power competition and facing countless threats, from cyberattacks to climate change.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at the conclusion of Thursday’s summit that member states had agreed on a “fundamental change in our deterrence and defense” and sent a clear message to Moscow that the alliance has a strong line on its eastern border.
“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,” Stoltenberg said. “At the same time, we also know that this could get worse if this turns into a full-scale war between Russia and NATO.
Stoltenberg continued: “We want to remove any room for miscalculations, misunderstandings in Moscow about our readiness to defend every inch of NATO territory. That is NATO’s primary responsibility. “
During their three-day talks in Spain, NATO leaders formally invited Finland and Sweden to join the alliance after overcoming Turkish resistance. If the accession of the Scandinavian countries is approved by the 30 member states, this will give NATO a new border with Russia of 800 miles (1,300 kilometers).
Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that he will respond in kind if the Scandinavian couple allows NATO troops and military infrastructure on their territory. 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 when he arrived at the conference center. “We will definitely see cyberattacks. We will see hybrid attacks, information warfare continues. But not conventional war.
China has accused the alliance of “maliciously attacking and denigrating” the country. His mission to the European Union said that NATO “claims that other countries pose challenges, but it is NATO that is causing problems in the world”.
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. .
“It is in our interest to continue working with our close partners in the south to tackle common challenges,” Stoltenberg said.
But Russia dominated the summit. Stoltenberg said Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine had led to “the biggest overhaul of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War.”
The invasion destroyed peace in Europe, and in response NATO dumped troops and weapons in Eastern Europe on an unprecedented scale. Member States have given billions of military and civilian aid to Ukraine to strengthen 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 and warned leaders that they must either provide Kyiv with the help it needs or face a delayed war between Russia and you.
“The question is who is next? Moldova? Or the Baltics? Or Poland? The answer is: everyone,” he said.
At the summit, NATO leaders agreed 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.
They have announced plans to almost double the number of the alliance’s rapid reaction force from 40,000 to 300,000 troops by next year. The troops will be based in their home nations, but dedicated to specific countries in the east, where the alliance plans to stockpile equipment and ammunition.
US President Joe Biden, whose country provides most of NATO’s firepower, has announced a significant increase in America’s military presence in Europe, including a permanent US base in Poland, two more Navy destroyers based in Rota, Spain. and two more F35 squadrons in the United Kingdom
Enlargement will keep 100,000 troops in Europe for the foreseeable future, up from 80,000 before the start of the war in Ukraine.
Biden said Putin believed NATO members would split after he invaded Ukraine, but the Russian leader received the opposite response.
“You will get NATOization of Europe,” Biden said. “And that is exactly what he did not want, but exactly what needs to be done to ensure Europe’s security.”
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,
At what Stoltenberg called a “transformative” summit, leaders published NATO’s new strategic concept, its set of 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 the new one addresses Beijing’s growing economic and military reach.
“China is not our adversary, but we need to be aware of the serious challenges it poses,” Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.
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.
However, the alliance said it remained “open to constructive engagement” with Beijing.
China has said NATO is a source of instability and has vowed to defend its interests.
“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,” the statement said.
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