Category Archives: NATO

Madeleine Albright may have not coined the phrase indispensable nation, but she will always be associated with the concept.

By the time she became Secretary of State in 1997, the United States had become a beached superpower. During the Cold War, its forces had been deployed across the world for the explicit purpose of deterring Soviet aggression. When the Soviet Union disappeared in 1991, so did the primary justification for Americas enormous troop presence abroad and globe-spanning web of military alliances.

The Czech-born Albright, who died on March 23 at age 84, helped the United States to conjure a new rationale for its militarized global role in the post-Cold War era.

Her trenchant belief that America was indispensable to global peace and progress led Albright to support military action against Iraq in 1998 and Serbia in 1999. It would be Albrights lasting regret that the U.S. failed to intervene in Rwanda in 1994 and stop the slaughter.

Albright left public office in January 2001. But her basic conviction that warfighting, when done by the United States, could be a progressive and even altruistic act has persisted in the corridors of Washington.

It has given leaders of both parties a rhetorical tool to justify interventionist foreign policies even when calls for restraint and retrenchment have been strong.

One of Albrights most consequential acts both as Ambassador to the United Nations from 1993 to 1997 and as Secretary of State under President Bill Clinton was to support NATO expansion.

NATO had been a cornerstone of the Cold War security order in Europe, binding the United States to the defense of Western Europe. Albrights approach was to cast NATO not just as a military alliance but as a pillar of international stability and an engine of democratic progress. She saw the alliance as a conduit through which the United States could impart peace, order and good governance upon a fragile European continent.

At the time, critics cautioned that NATO enlargement would antagonize a post-Soviet Russia and could end up worsening the European security order.

Albrights answer was uncompromising.

We do not need Russia to agree to enlargement, she assured senators in 1997, stressing the word need.

The strategic and moral case for enlargement was overwhelming, explained Albright. If the newly democratized states of Central and Eastern Europe craved the protection of the United States, she concluded, then no other nation should be allowed to stand in the way.

These arguments prevailed in Washington and other NATO capitals. In July 1997, Poland, Hungary and the Czech Republic were formally invited to join NATO. They were accepted into the alliance in 1999 the first, but not the last, former Eastern Bloc nations accepted into the alliance.

In hindsight, Albrights curt dismissal of Russias security concerns might seem to have been ill-judged. This is especially true in light of Russias invasion of Ukraine, which some analysts blame in part upon the speed and perceived recklessness of NATO expansion during the 1990s.

The advisability of NATO enlargement will be hotly debated for years to come and Albrights role in the process should not be spared scrutiny. But at the same time, it must be remembered that Albright was a woman of her times; the high points of her career during the Clinton Administration coincided with the pinnacle of American power.

Indeed, it is no exaggeration to say that, during the 1990s, Albrights job was to help conduct the foreign relations of the most powerful country in the history of the world. It is understandable, perhaps, that she wanted to harness this awesome power toward causes such as nurturing freedom and democracy in countries that had struggled for decades to rid themselves of authoritarianism.

Albright lived to see five presidents govern in accordance with her own ideas about Americas special purpose. Even Donald Trump at times betrayed an underlying attachment to the logic of U.S. indispensability.

The world today is different from the 1990s, however. Now that rival states are more willing to punch back, it is far riskier for U.S. leaders to perform the role of indispensable nation. As President Joe Biden has cautioned, a military intervention against Russia in Ukraine could mean nothing less than World War III.

On the death of Madeleine Albright, then, U.S. leaders should also give thought to what sort of ideas should replace her towering precepts for overseas engagement. It is an urgent task.

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Madeleine Albright saw US as an indispensable nation and NATO expansion eastward as essential - The Conversation

NATO leaders will meet in Brussels tomorrow, 24 March 2022. They will address the consequences of President Putins invasion of Ukraine, discuss the role of China in this crisis, and decide on the next steps to strengthen NATOs deterrence and defence.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of this extraordinary NATO Summit, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg previewed the decisions that he expects leaders will take tomorrow. These decisions include declaring four new NATO battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia, strengthening NATOs posture across all domains (land, sea, air, space and cyber space), providing additional support to Ukraine, and stepping up support for other partners at risk from Russian pressure.

The decisions we take tomorrow will have far-reaching implications, said the Secretary General. He reiterated that to reinforce Euro-Atlantic security, NATO Allies will need to redouble their efforts to invest more in defence. On this, Mr. Stoltenberg stressed that there is a new sense of urgency. Because we cannot take peace for granted.

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NATO - News: NATO leaders will decide on next steps to ...

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky pleaded Thursday with NATO leaders to send weapons "without restrictions" as the alliance sought to bolster Kyiv and strengthen its eastern flank in the face of Russia's war.

The United States said allies were discussing sending anti-ship missiles to Ukraine as President Joe Biden sought to up the price for the Kremlin at a day-long string of summit in Brussels.

"To save people and our cities, Ukraine needs military assistance without restrictions," Zelensky told NATO leaders in a video address as the war entered its second month.

"The Alliance can still prevent the deaths of Ukrainians from Russian strikes, from Russian occupation, by giving us all the weapons we need."

NATO has rebuffed Ukraine's calls to intervene and impose a no-fly zone to stop Russia's ferocious bombardment -- and Kyiv is now focused on getting more advanced weaponry to defend itself.

"Vladimir Putin has already crossed the red line into barbarism," British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said.

"The harder our sanctions, the tougher our economic vice around the Putin regime, the more we can do to help the Ukrainians, I think the faster that this thing can be over," he said.

Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas called on NATO's 30 nations to "double our efforts" to check the Kremlin's aggression against its pro-Western neighbour.

"Putin cannot win this war," she said. "We have to stop the war criminal."

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg insisted the alliance was "determined to continue to impose costs on Russia to bring about the end of this brutal war".

But he ruled out NATO imposing a no-fly zone for fear of getting dragged into a "full-fledged" conflict with Moscow.

"We have a responsibility to ensure that this conflict does not escalate beyond Ukraine that will cause even more suffering, even more death, even more destruction," Stoltenberg said.

Story continues

- 'Big mistake' -

The NATO chief accused Putin of making a "big mistake" by attacking Ukraine and underestimating the strength of the Kyiv's resistance as its forces have stalled Moscow's advance.

Stoltenberg said the leaders of the US-led military alliance would "address the need for a reset of our deterrence and defence in the longer term", starting with agreeing new deployments to eastern members Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria.

NATO has already rushed tens of thousands of troops to its eastern flank in the wake of Russia's invasion to counter the threat of any spillover from the conflict into alliance countries.

Biden warned before heading to Europe of a "real threat" that the Kremlin could use chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg said that "any use of chemical weapons would fundamentally change the nature of the conflict".

"It will be a blatant violation of international law, and it will have widespread and severe consequences."

Leaders refused to give details on how NATO would react if Moscow unleashed chemical weapons against Ukraine.

"I personally don't believe that Russian military itself will use chemical or biological weapons purposely for tactical achievements because this would be... very unwise and a shot in their own knee," said Slovenian premier Janez Jansa.

NATO leaders also looked to put pressure on China to end its political support for Moscow, amid fears that Beijing could send military hardware to help the Kremlin.

"We need to continue to call on China not to support Russia in its aggression against Ukraine," a US official said. "We need China to call for a peaceful end of the conflict as a responsible member of the international community."

bur-del/dc/spm

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Ukraine pleads for arms from NATO to help beat Russia

Snowfall and floods in Albania

Due to heavy rainfalls that started on the 31st of January 2015, the water level of large rivers has increased and caused floods in several parts of Albania. NATO has received on 5 February 2015, a disaster assistance request from Albania (AL).

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In March 2014, a rapidly evolving outbreak of Ebola started in forested areas of south eastern Guinea.

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Since the fall of the city of Mosul in Nineveh Governorate under the control of the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant, the humanitarian crisis in Iraq has rapidly evolved with population movements dispersed throughout the governorates affected by the ongoing conflict.

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Turkey initially requested humanitarian assistance for Syrian refugees in Turkey through EADRCC on 13 April 2012 and the final report for this operation was published on 17 December 2013. Since then, the number of Syrian refugees in 22 temporary protection centres has reached up to 220.000 people, while the number of Syrians outside these centres estimated to be around 800.000 people.

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NATO: Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response Coordinator Centre ...

Washington The U.S. will accept up to 100,000 Ukrainians who have fled the violence and attacks on their home country by Russian forces in the weeks since it invaded, the White House said Thursday.

News of the Biden administration's plans to welcome the Ukrainians into the U.S. came as President Biden meets with allies in Brussels as part of broader efforts with NATO and European Union partners to continue its coordinated response to Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine.

More than 3.6 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded the country in late February, and more than half of the country's children have been displaced, according to United Nations refugee and children's agencies. More than 2.1 million people have flooded into Poland seeking to escape the bombardment by Russian forces, while another more than 500,000 left for Romania.

The war has prompted the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

To bolster its humanitarian efforts, the U.S. will also contribute another $1 billion in aid to assist displaced Ukrainians, according to the White House, and commit $11 billion over the next five years to address global food security concerns due to the war's potential impacts on agricultural production.

The U.S. is also imposing new sanctions on the more than 300 members of Russia's State Duma, its parliament, and over 40 Russian defense companies, the White House said. The latest economic penalties from the Biden administration will align with sanctions from Group of Seven nations to maximize their effect, according to a senior administration official.

The Biden administration had previously imposed sweeping penalties on Russian oligarchs, financial institutions and political leaders, including President Vladimir Putin, in an effort to cut Russia's access to the global financial system. But Putin has continued his bombardment in Ukraine, and on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the U.S. assessed Russian troops committed war crimes.

U.S. efforts to receive displaced Ukrainians will focus on activists, journalists, members of the LGBTQ community, political dissidents, those seeking medical treatment and others with family in the U.S., administration officials said.

The displaced Ukrainians could arrive in the U.S. through different immigration pathways, the officials said, including the refugee program, which allows selected immigrants fleeing war and violence to obtain permanent U.S. residence. This process typically takes years to complete due to vetting, medical checks and interviews.

Another pathway is a process known as parole, which allows U.S. immigration officials to admit immigrants without visas on humanitarian grounds. Parole allows beneficiaries to enter the U.S. much more quickly than the refugee process, but it does not place them on a pathway to permanent residency.

Since the start of the Russian invasion, the U.S. has received 168 humanitarian parole requests from Ukrainians, and has approved a few applications from children seeking urgent medical treatment, according to internal U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) data obtained by CBS News.

The Biden administration set an ambitious goal of receiving up to 125,000 refugees in fiscal year 2022, which ends in September. However, the U.S. has resettled only 6,500 refugees, including roughly 700 Ukrainians, as of the end of February,State Department figuresshows.

The refugee program, which was suspended early in the coronavirus pandemic, is still recovering from dramatic cuts under the Trump administration, when officials set the refugee cap at record lows.

Biden officials said other Ukrainians could also come to the U.S. with immigrant visas, which are for those with U.S.-based family members and employers willing to sponsor them, or nonimmigrant visas, which include those for tourists and other short-term travelers.

So far, Ukrainian Americans have struggled to bring their displaced relatives to the U.S. since many lack visas, which are currently required to enter the country and typically take months to process because of the massive backlog of applications at American consulates.

In addition to the new round of sanctions on Russian politicians, the U.S. and G7 nations will also work to prohibit any transaction from Russia involving gold, which makes up roughly 20% of Russia's central bank reserves, one of the administration officials said.

"Our purpose now is to fully disarm its war chest by making sure its foreign reserves serve no purpose in propping up the Russian currency," the official said.

Camilo Montoya-Galvez is the immigration reporter at CBS News. Based in Washington, he covers immigration policy and politics.

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U.S. plans to receive 100,000 Ukrainians displaced by ...

Leaders of NATO member nations pose for a family photo at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on March 24. John Thys/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Leaders of NATO member nations pose for a family photo at NATO Headquarters in Brussels on March 24.

As Russia continues its attack on Ukraine, the role of NATO is at the forefront.

Here's a quick overview of the alliance, the role that the United States plays within it, and what it's doing to help Ukraine amid Russia's invasion.

NATO is the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's a military and political alliance that was founded in 1949 in response to the actions of the Soviet Union.

"The Allies in the West began to see that the Soviets were trying to take their advantage after World War II," seeking to turn countries in Central and Eastern Europe into "satellite nations" of the Soviet Union, Jim Townsend, who served as deputy assistant secretary of defense for Europe and NATO during the Obama administration, tells NPR.

Townsend, who spent 30 years at the Pentagon, says during the earliest days of the Cold War, it was obvious that Russia was going to be very aggressive. So the European allies came together and asked the U.S. to join a new alliance.

The result was NATO. Retired American general and future U.S. president Dwight Eisenhower was tapped to be NATO's first military leader: the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.

In 1955, the Warsaw Pact was formed by the Soviet Union and seven Eastern bloc nations as a collective defense treaty in response to NATO.

Dwight Eisenhower, seen here in France in 1951, was the first Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Dwight Eisenhower, seen here in France in 1951, was the first Supreme Allied Commander of NATO.

There were 12 founding members of the alliance in 1949: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the U.S.

The alliance has expanded over time, and its membership now numbers 30. The other nations are Greece, Turkey, Germany, Spain, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro and North Macedonia.

Three additional countries have declared their desire to join the alliance: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Ukraine. Membership is officially open to any "European State in a position to further the principles of this Treaty and to contribute to the security of the North Atlantic area." The decision to invite a country to join NATO is made by consensus of the member nations.

Ukraine has not entered NATO essentially because of Russia's opposition to it, and the conflict that its admission would cause.

NATO's Article 5 spells out its key principle of collective defense: If any member of the alliance is attacked, it shall be considered an attack on all members.

And if such an armed attack does occur, each member will take the actions it deems necessary to assist the ally attacked, "to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area." What assistance is provided is determined by the individual country, in concert with the other allies. The assistance doesn't necessarily have to be military.

Article 5 has been invoked just once: Following the terrorist attacks on the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001. NATO launched its first ever anti-terror operation, to help patrol the skies over the U.S. The alliance also sent patrols to the Mediterranean to detect and deter terrorist activity.

Even without invoking Article 5, NATO has taken collective defense measures several times, including in Syria and now with the Russian attack on Ukraine.

Townsend likens NATO's role as hosting a potluck for member nations, and asking each to bring something in particular to the picnic. Otherwise "everyone would just bring potato chips, because that's the cheapest thing."

There was a time in the 1990s when it was thought that Russia might potentially join NATO at some point, says Townsend, as countries like the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland were preparing to enter the alliance. But Russia's trajectory changed in the 2000s, and that never happened.

NATO's relations with Russia deteriorated in 2014, when Russia illegally annexed Crimea. Practical cooperation between the alliance and Russia has been suspended since then, though political and military channels of communication remain open.

French army personnel stand during an official welcoming ceremony for the French Defense Minister at an air base in Romania on March 6. Daniel Mihailescu/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

French army personnel stand during an official welcoming ceremony for the French Defense Minister at an air base in Romania on March 6.

NATO's multinational Response Force is composed of troops from member nations. Troops wear their own country's uniform, and individual military units are headed by leaders from those units' home countries.

The Supreme Allied Commander is at the top of the chain of command. An American is always in this role, says Townsend, "because we bring most of the toys." His or her deputy is usually a Brit and the chief of staff is usually a German, Townsend says.

Putin has said he regards Ukraine as a part of Russia.

"The idea that Ukraine would actually establish relationships like a nation would to the European Union and NATO, that upsets in his mind this idea that Ukraine is Russia, Russia is Ukraine," says Townsend.

Robert Pszczel, a former Polish diplomat and a former NATO official, says that one of Putin's obsessions is Russia's role in the global order. "He believes that Russia has the right, because it's a big power, to dictate to other countries," he tells NPR. "Just the very existence of NATO creates a problem for Putin because NATO stands for collective security and stands for upholding that international order."

The Russian president has also expressed concern that if Ukraine joins NATO, the alliance would put pack Ukraine full of weapons and be within striking distance of Moscow. "In creating a threat for Russia, Ukraine creates a threat for itself," Putin said last month.

Several countries bordering Russia are already part of NATO: Estonia and Latvia. Lithuania and Poland border the Kaliningrad region, the chunk of Russia on the Baltic Sea.

NATO has been amassing battalion-size "battlegroups" in countries along the alliance's eastern flank in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland. These forces are prepared for combat and are led by the United Kingdom, Canada, Germany and the U.S., respectively. The alliance has sent planes and ships to NATO territory in eastern and southeastern Europe, and there's a multinational brigade in Romania.

Last week NATO announced it would create four new battlegroups in Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania.

The alliance has also been providing huge amounts of weapons and equipment to Ukraine.

So far, the alliance has not met one repeated request by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy: to impose a no-fly zone. That's because NATO fears that doing so would lead to direct combat with Russia, widening the conflict into a regional war and potentially even a third World War.

The U.S. has provided Ukraine with anti-aircraft weapons, though, which can can be used to shoot down aircraft and cruise missiles.

The alliance is likely also providing help in ways it isn't talking about. "Not everything should be advertised, for security reasons," Pszczel says.

Some wonder why NATO isn't giving Ukraine everything Zelenskyy asks for. A recent NPR/Ipsos poll found that 39% of Americans think the U.S. should be doing more when it comes to the war in Ukraine.

NATO is doing as much as the politics of its members currently allow, Pszczel says: "These are free nations, democratic nations, and they all have to agree on things. At the moment, there is no consensus. There's not willingness to go a step or two step further and essentially send troops or enter into direct military confrontation with Russia."

But public opinion is a powerful force, he says, and there is a strong moral opposition in NATO countries to Russia's attack on Ukraine.

If Putin's war continues, might consensus be reached to take NATO's involvement to the next level? "Time will show," says Pszczel.

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NATO, explained the alliance and why it's crucial now - NPR

We, the Heads of State and Government of the 30 NATO Allies, have met today to address Russias aggression against Ukraine, the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades. Russias war against Ukraine has shattered peace in Europe and is causing enormous human suffering and destruction.

We condemn Russias invasion of Ukraine in the strongest possible terms. We call on President Putin to immediately stop this war and withdraw military forces from Ukraine, and call on Belarus to end its complicity, in line with the Aggression Against Ukraine Resolution adopted at the UN General Assembly of 2 March 2022. Russia should comply with the 16 March ruling by the UN International Court of Justice and immediately suspend military operations. Russias attack on Ukraine threatens global security. Its assault on international norms makes the world less safe. President Putins escalatory rhetoric is irresponsible and destabilizing.

Ukrainians have inspired the world with heroic resistance to Russias brutal war of conquest. We strongly condemn Russias devastating attacks on civilians, including women, children, and persons in vulnerable situations. We will work with the rest of the international community to hold accountable those responsible for violations of humanitarian and international law, including war crimes. We are deeply concerned about the increased risk of sexual violence and human trafficking. We urge Russia to allow rapid, safe, and unhindered humanitarian access and safe passage for civilians, and to allow for humanitarian aid to be delivered to Mariupol and other besieged cities. We also condemn attacks against civilian infrastructure, including those endangering nuclear power plants. We will continue to counter Russias lies about its attack on Ukraine and expose fabricated narratives or manufactured false flag operations to prepare the ground for further escalation, including against the civilian population of Ukraine. Any use by Russia of a chemical or biological weapon would be unacceptable and result in severe consequences.

Russia needs to show it is serious about negotiations by immediately implementing a ceasefire. We call on Russia to engage constructively in credible negotiations with Ukraine to achieve concrete results, starting with a sustainable ceasefire and moving towards a complete withdrawal of its troops from Ukrainian territory. Russias continuing aggression while discussions are taking place is deplorable. We support Ukraines efforts to achieve peace, and those undertaken diplomatically by Allies to weigh in on Russia to end the war and relieve human suffering.

We stand in full solidarity with President Zelenskyy, the government of Ukraine, and with the brave Ukrainian citizens who are defending their homeland. We honour all those killed, injured, and displaced by Russias aggression, as well as their families. We reaffirm our unwavering support for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders extending to its territorial waters.

Ukraine has a fundamental right to self-defence under the United Nations Charter. Since 2014, we have provided extensive support to Ukraines ability to exercise that right. We have trained Ukraines armed forces, strengthening their military capabilities and capacities and enhancing their resilience. NATO Allies have stepped up their support and will continue to provide further political and practical support to Ukraine as it continues to defend itself. NATO Allies will also continue to provide assistance in such areas as cybersecurity and protection against threats of a chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear nature. NATO Allies also provide extensive humanitarian support and are hosting millions of refugees. Foreign Ministers will discuss further our support to Ukraine when they meet in April.

We are united in our resolve to counter Russias attempts to destroy the foundations of international security and stability. We are holding Russia and Belarus to account. Massive sanctions and heavy political costs have been imposed on Russia in order to bring an end to this war. We remain determined to maintain coordinated international pressure on Russia. We will continue to coordinate closely with relevant stakeholders and other international organizations, including the European Union. Transatlantic coordination remains crucial for an effective response to the current crisis.

We call on all states, including the Peoples Republic of China (PRC), to uphold the international order including the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity, as enshrined in the UN Charter, to abstain from supporting Russias war effort in any way, and to refrain from any action that helps Russia circumvent sanctions. We are concerned by recent public comments by PRC officials and call on China to cease amplifying the Kremlins false narratives, in particular on the war and on NATO, and to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict.

We remain committed to the foundational principles underpinning European and global security, including that each nation has the right to choose its own security arrangements free from outside interference. We reaffirm our commitment to NATOs Open Door Policy under Article 10 of the Washington Treaty.

We are providing tailored support to partners affected by Russian threats and interference and will step up our assistance to help them resist Russian malign influence and strengthen their resilience, based on our partners requests and our long-standing partnership programmes.In April, Foreign Ministers will consider concrete proposals for enhancing our support to these partners.

We will continue to take all necessary steps to protect and defend the security of our Allied populations and every inch of Allied territory. Our commitment to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty is iron-clad.

In response to Russias actions, we have activated NATOs defence plans, deployed elements of the NATO Response Force, and placed 40,000 troops on our eastern flank, along with significant air and naval assets, under direct NATO command supported by Allies national deployments. We are also establishing four additional multinational battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia. We are taking all measures and decisions to ensure the security and defence of all Allies across all domains and with a 360-degree approach. Our measures remain preventive, proportionate, and non-escalatory. We will now accelerate NATOs transformation for a more dangerous strategic reality, including through the adoption of the next Strategic Concept in Madrid. In light of the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades, we will also significantly strengthen our longer term deterrence and defence posture and will further develop the full range of ready forces and capabilities necessary to maintain credible deterrence and defence. These steps will be supported by enhanced exercises with an increased focus on collective defence and interoperability.

We are increasing the resilience of our societies and our infrastructure to counter Russias malign influence. We are enhancing our cyber capabilities and defences, providing support to each other in the event of cyber-attacks.We are ready to impose costs on those who harm us in cyberspace, and are increasing information exchange and situational awareness, enhancing civil preparedness, and strengthening our ability to respond to disinformation. We will also enhance our preparedness and readiness for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. We will take further decisions when we meet in Madrid.

The steps we are taking to ensure the security of our Alliance and of the Euro-Atlantic area will require adequate resourcing. Allies are substantially increasing their defence expenditures.Today, we have decided to accelerate our efforts to fulfil our commitment to the Defence Investment Pledge in its entirety. In line with our commitment in Article 3 of the Washington Treaty, we will further strengthen our individual and collective capacity to resist all forms of attack.At our meeting in Madrid, we will submit additional plans on how to meet the Pledge.

Russias unprovoked war against Ukraine represents a fundamental challenge to the values and norms that have brought security and prosperity to all on the European continent. President Putins choice to attack Ukraine is a strategic mistake, with grave consequences also for Russia and the Russian people. We remain united and resolute in our determination to oppose Russias aggression, aid the government and the people of Ukraine, and defend the security of all Allies.

Link:
Statement by NATO Heads of State and Government - Brussels 24 March 2022 - NATO HQ

DUBLIN Most citizens of Ireland want to boost military spending and nearly half want to join NATO in response to Russias invasion of Ukraine, according to a new poll.

The findings by pollsters Red C, published in Sundays Business Post newspaper in Dublin, suggest sharply shifting public attitudes on Irelands official policy of neutrality.

It found that 48 percent now want to join NATO versus 39 percent opposed, a record high for this question. As recently as January, a similar poll found only 34 percent support for joining the transatlantic military alliance.

Irelands age-old determination to avoid any military alliance with Britain meant it stayed out of World War II and even offered official condolences to Nazi Germany following news of Adolf Hitlers death. Such studious neutrality has been newly tested since February, when Russia staged naval military exercises off Irelands Atlantic coast.

The episode highlighted the inability of Irelands ill-equipped Defence Forces to monitor those Russian maneuvers. The Irish have no military-grade radar or sonar capabilities, no jets capable of long-range surveillance or interception missions, and too few sailors to operate its nine-vessel fleet.

Instead, under a two-decade-old confidential agreement, Ireland permits the Royal Air Force to intercept any Russian aircraft sorties off Irelands Atlantic coast.

Irelands annual defense spending is currently 1.1 billion, lowest in the EU at just 0.2 percent of economic output. A government-commissioned report last month recommended that this spending should be increased by at least 50 percent or, in the most aggressive scenario, tripled.

Among those polled, 59 percent said they wanted Ireland to significantly increase military spending, while 28 percent opposed this.

And 46 percent said they would support a referendum for Irish troops to serve in a potential future European army.

Nonetheless, the poll also illustrated confusion over what joining NATO or an EU-organized force might really mean. When asked whether Ireland should drop its policy of neutrality, 57 percent said no.

And only 39 percent said Ireland should send weapons to Ukraine. Ireland instead is offering nonlethal aid, including ration packs, medical supplies and body armor, as part of EU-wide support for Ukraines defense.

The main opposition Sinn Fin party, traditionally hostile to NATO and sympathetic to Russia, has shifted that position in recent weeks. But a smaller band of Irelands most staunchly left-wing lawmakers still sees the current Ukraine crisis as a moment to strengthen, not weaken, Irelands neutral posture.

Later this week Dil ireann, Irelands lower house of parliament, will debate a bill seeking to amend Irelands 85-year-old constitution to include neutrality. The bill is sponsored by five socialists in the 160-seat Dil.

One of its authors, Richard Boyd Barrett, said many citizens are alarmed to see the Irish government attempting to bring Ireland closer to the idea of an EU army and NATO.

There is no question that Ireland stands against the repugnant and despotic actions of Putin and the Russian regime in Ukraine, he said. But military neutrality is important because it means that Ireland should stand up and oppose all forms of imperialism, empire and war, regardless of who instigates it.

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Poll: More Irish want to join NATO in wake of Ukraine invasion - POLITICO Europe

NATO Deputy-General Secretary Mircea Geoana said in an interview with The Associated Press that the group would respond if Russia used chemical or nuclear weapons inits war against Ukraine.

NATO is a defensive alliance, but also its a nuclear alliance, said Geoana, who is also the former Romanian foreign minister and ambassador to the United States. If they will be using chemical weapons or other kinds of higher-end systems against Ukraine, this will be changing fundamentally the nature of the war that Mr. Putin has waged against Ukraine."

I can guarantee that NATO is ready to respond proportionately, Geoana added.

Geoana would not detail to the AP what those actions could be, but his comments come as Russian officials have refused to say that Russia wont use chemical or nuclear weapons in its invasion.

Russia has become more desperate as the war has gone on for more than a month, with Russian forces previously believing they would take over Ukraine within days.

Mr. Putin probably believed his own post-imperial fantasies, thinking that Ukrainians will welcome them with open arms, Geoana said. In fact, they got very fierce resistance. We are convinced that today, even with reinforcements that are still coming into Ukraine, Russia does not possess the forces and the capacity to occupy the whole of Ukraine.

Shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24, the international community retaliated with harsh sanctions and private companies pulled their business out of Russia.

Geoana said Russian President Vladimir PutinVladimir Vladimirovich PutinRussian rocket attacks wound five in western Ukraine city of Lviv If we de-list the IRGC, what will the dictators think? Putin's war against Ukrainian civilians is not new nor will it work MORE did not calculate the bravery of the Ukrainian army and the unity of the political West when deciding to start this war, according to the AP.

NATO estimates more than 40,000 Russian troops have been killed, injured or captured since the invasion began.

We see that for the time being, the Russian military planning is trying to reassess the situation to try to compensate for the massive losses in people and material that they suffered in the first month of the war, Geoana said.

NATO countries have been providing humanitarian and military aid to Ukraine, but have refrained from implementing a no-fly zone or giving fighter jets as the alliance sees those as moves that get the countries too directly involved in the fighting.

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NATO official says alliance would be forced to take action if Russia uses chemical, nuclear weapons | TheHill - The Hill

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sought to justify his invasion of Ukraine in part based on a threat he sees to his country from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and the alliances offer to Ukraine of potential membership. The alliance spent its first four decades defending Western Europe, North America and Turkey against possible threats from the Soviet Union. Since the USSRs disintegration in 1991, NATO has added members from the former Soviet bloc and sought new missions because Russia wasnt seen as a serious threat for most of the past 30 years.

Following Russias seizure from Ukraine of the Crimean Peninsula and support for separatists in Ukraines east, NATO members have reinforced their defenses in countries near Russia. The alliance held an emergency summit on March 24, attended by President Biden and other NATO leaders to address ways to strengthen the alliance and provide more assistance to Ukraine. NATO says it is purely a defensive organization.

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What Is NATO and Which Countries Are Members? - The Wall Street Journal