BRUSSELS (Reuters) – NATO is working on plans for a permanent military presence on Russian border, The Telegraph reported, citing NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
NATO was “in the midst of a very fundamental transformation” that will reflect “the long-term consequences” of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions, Stoltenberg said in an interview with the newspaper.
“What we see now is a new reality, a new normal for European security. Therefore, we have now asked our military commanders to provide options for what we call a reset, a longer-term adaptation of NATO,” it cited Stoltenberg as saying.
Stoltenberg, who recently said he would extend his term as head of the alliance by a year, also said in the interview that decisions on the reset would be made at a NATO summit to be held in Madrid in June.
Speaking at a press conference following the meetings of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Thursday, Stoltenberg said that the members agreed to ramp up the supply of weapons to Kiev, including hi-tech arms.
Stoltenberg declined to say which countries would increase supplies or what equipment they might send, but noted: “Rest assured, allies are providing a wide range of different weapons systems, both Soviet-era systems but also modern equipment.”
Putin announced what he called a “special military operation” on February 24 to demilitarize the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine, predominantly populated by ethnic Russians.
NATO refuses to send troops or weapons to Ukraine or impose a no-fly zone over it to keep the trans-Atlantic military group from being drawn into a wider war with Russia. Earlier, Stoltenberg said that “NATO is not part of the conflict,” and it only helps Ukraine with “upholding the right for self-defense.”
However, some European member states of NATO have sold military equipment including anti-aircraft and anti-tank weapons and medical supplies to Ukraine.
Slovakia Prime Minister Eduard Heger confirmed that it had sent its S-300 air system to Ukraine, becoming the first NATO country to answer the calls by President Volodymyr Zelensky to supply powerful missile weaponry.