NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday said, “there are no NATO combat troops inside Ukraine at all. We have made it clear that we do not have any plans and intentional deploying NATO troops to Ukraine.”
“Ukraine is a highly valued partner. We have supported Ukraine for many, many years. We helped them to build a more modern capable armed force. Militarily, we have helped them to train equip, and in many different ways to strengthen their armed forces. We helped them with cyber defences with NATO Allies in different ways. But we don’t have NATO troops in Ukraine, and we don’t have any plans to send NATO troops into Ukraine. But we are there to protect and defend all NATO Allies. So we support Ukraine. We provide absolute security guarantees for NATO Allies. And we demonstrate that commitment by increasing the presence in the Eastern part of the Alliance,” he stated.
Following an extraordinary meeting of the North Atlantic Council, Jens Stoltenberg announced that the North Atlantic Council decided to activate its defence plans, at the request of our top military commander, General Tod Wolters.
“This is a prudent and defensive step to protect and shield Allied nations during this crisis. And it will enable us to deploy capabilities and forces, including the NATO Response Force, to where they are needed. In response to Russia’s massive military build-up, we have already strengthened our collective defence on land, at sea, and in the air. In the last weeks, Allies from North America and Europe have deployed thousands of more troops to the eastern part of the Alliance. And placed more on standby. We have over 100 jets at high alert, protecting our airspace. And more than 120 Allied ships at sea, from the High North to the Mediterranean. All this shows that our collective defence commitment Article 5 is ironclad. And we will continue to do whatever is necessary to shield the Alliance from aggression,” he stated.
NATO Secretary General stressed “despite its litany of lies, denials, and disinformation, the Kremlin’s intentions are clear for the world to see. Russia’s leaders bear full responsibility for their reckless actions and the lives lost.” He added that he called a virtual Summit of NATO leaders tomorrow, to address the way forward.
LIVE NOW – Follow my remarks with EU Commission President @vonderleyen and @NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg https://t.co/6xicV2fm4A
— Charles Michel (@eucopresident) February 24, 2022
