NATO puts warplanes on alert and increases troop presence on the eastern flank

NATO said on Thursday it would take further deterrence and defense measures after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, including putting more than 100 warplanes on high alert and further increasing troop presence on its eastern flank.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said there would be an emergency virtual summit of the alliance’s 30 nations on Friday and would be joined by the leaders of Sweden, Finland and European Union institutions.

Russian forces invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea on Thursday, confirming the West’s worst fears with the largest state-on-state attack in Europe since World War II.

“Peace on our continent has been brokenStoltenberg said at a news conference. “Russia is using force to try to rewrite history and deny Ukraine its free and independent path”.

Ukraine is not a member of the alliance and Stoltenberg said there were no NATO troops in the country.

“We have no plans to send NATO troops to Ukraine. What we do is defensive“, said.

The new measures planned by NATO would allow it to deploy capabilities and forces, including the NATO Response Force, in the countries of Eastern Europe.

NATO is planning to create battle group structures like the ones it already has in the Baltics for countries on its eastern flank, Slovakian Foreign Minister Ivan Korcok said, adding that the move would include Slovakia.

“The unit will be made up of countries geographically close to us. It will be a few hundred soldiers who will come with equipment that we don’t have and will significantly increase our ability to defend our country.”, Slovak Defense Minister Jaroslav Nad said.

NATO earlier said in a statement that it had decided to “take additional steps to further bolster deterrence and defense across the alliance”, but that its measures were “preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory”.

“This is a deliberate, cold-blooded and long-planned invasionStoltenberg said. “Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked attack on Ukraine is putting countless innocent lives at risk with air and missile strikes”.

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