Stoltenberg hopes to make progress on the accession of Sweden and Finland to the alliance at the Madrid summit, but avoids setting deadlines
The NATO summit in Madrid “will transform” the Alliance and will mean “a change” in the defense of all its allies. This was indicated this Monday by the secretary general of the organization, Jens Stoltenberg, who has assured that “Russia is 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 meeting of the Atlantic Alliance in Madrid. “We must 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 spending. “That percentage is a floor, not a ceiling,” says his secretary general.
The organization aims to increase and improve its defense spending, increasing its supplies of ammunition and fuel and with a greater deployment of its air forces. It also wants to increase the speed of deployment of its rapid response forces, for possible intervention in an emergency in Eastern Europe. NATO has already increased the presence of troops in the Baltic countries, with nearly 40,000 soldiers, and Stoltenberg assures that collaboration with countries such as Georgia and Moldova is also “key” to avoid possible aggression by Russia.
The future entry of Sweden and Finland into the organization is one of the main topics of debate at the summit, a candidacy that collides with Turkey’s veto. The leaders of the three countries will attend Madrid, but NATO avoids setting deadlines for the entry process of the two countries. “We are working at a good pace,” he assured.
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