EU, NATO pledge to step up co-operation on ‘hybrid threats’ – 9.84

The EU and NATO leaders pledged today to step up co-operation in the face of "hybrid" threats during their visit to Lithuania, which focused mainly on the Belarus migration crisis and the strengthening of the Russian military presence near Ukraine.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has once again called on Russia to "de-escalate" the crisis on its border with Ukraine and warned of the "costs and consequences" of resorting to violence on its part.

Stoltenberg and Ursula von der Leyen are visiting Lithuania ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday in neighboring Latvia. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will also attend the meeting to express his concerns about the situation on the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Stoltenberg and von der Leyen both accused Belarus of orchestrating the immigration crisis, something Minsk denies. Thousands of people, mostly from Middle Eastern countries, have passed or attempted to cross in recent months from Belarus to EU countries, mainly Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

"In order to react to such events, it is important that the EU and NATO work hand in hand," von der Layen told a joint news conference with Stoltenberg and the Lithuanian leadership.

"We discussed ways in which we can strengthen our common work, mainly through a new joint declaration, because we are stronger and more secure when we work together," Stoltenberg said.

Ursula von der Leyen stressed that the EU has decided to triple, to 200 million, the resources earmarked for border management in Latvia, Lithuania and Poland for this year and 2022. She clarified that this amount will be given for patrol vehicles and for electronic border surveillance, using unmanned aerial vehicles.

"If the security situation worsens further, we do not rule out the possibility of consultations under Article 4 of NATO," warned Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda, referring to the situation on the border with Belarus.

Poland has also warned that it may invoke this article.

For Stoltenberg, the "unusual" reinforcement of Russian forces, with tanks, artillery, drones and thousands of soldiers near the Ukrainian border, is "very worrying for many reasons" and especially "because it was not provoked and cannot be explained." "The message to Russia is that it must de-escalate, reduce tensions and show transparency," he said, adding that if Moscow "decides to resort to violence, there will certainly be consequences."

Source: RES-EAP

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EU, NATO pledge to step up co-operation on 'hybrid threats' - 9.84